DFO purchasing centres to buy farmers’ padi

Purchasing centres set up to avoid manipulation by 'middlemen' who raked in more profits than farmers.

KANGAR: Padi purchasing centres managed by District Farmers’ Organisations (DFO) in the state are ready to purchase padi that could not be bought buy private factories due to difficulties in storing the stock.

State Farmers’ Organisation Authority (LPP) director Shaidan Nordin said the authority had allocated almost RM1 million to open three purchasing centres under the care of DFO’s, namely in Padang Siding, Beseri and Bintong.

“The purchasing centres can also play a role in purchasing padi from farmers who are unable to sell to private factories as is the current situation, whereby the factories do not have the capacity to purchase anymore padi,” he told reporters here.

He said the situation arose when private factories that took orders to process padi owned by Padi Beras Nasional Sdn Bhd (Bernas) were not able to move the processed stock because Bernas had not collected them, causing an overload of stock in their premises.

The aim of setting up the purchasing centres was to avoid manipulation by ‘middlemen’, who often raked in more profits than the farmers themselves, he said.

Shaidan added if any farmers in areas under the state’s Muda Agricultural Development Authority (MADA) or outside of it still faced difficulties in selling their padi, they could sell them to the purchasing centres set up under the DFOs.

Each of the three purchasing centres had the capacity to buy and store 10,000 metric tonnes every season and as of now, the Padang Siding centre could still purchase 3,000 metric tonnes, Beseri (4,000 metric tonnes) and Bintong (8,000 metric tonnes).

He said the LPP planned to add one more purchasing centre in the Mata Ayer DFO with an allocation of RM300,000 this year. Shaidan said the ultimate goal was for all six DFOs under the care of LPP outside MADA areas to have their own purchasing centres.

- BERNAMA