Paddy farmer Mohd Roshdi Yahya is already struggling to provide for his family as declining harvests and higher operating costs eat into his income.
Roshdi, who is now part of a group helping padi farmers called Padi Rescue.
He is among the 300,000 farmers in Kedah, who Padi Rescue claims are drowning in debt and whose incomes have shrunk over the past years due to increasing operating costs.
Their declining incomes have made it hard for them to stay afloat and pay off those debts.
They also blame the lack of a government support structure and a rice monopoly for making it hard for farmers to gain a sustainable income despite the fact that rice is a staple food for Malaysians.
Roshdi compares the situation among farmers to that of Felda settlers who complain of being choked by debt and poor yields. - February 25, 2018.
A woman burning padi straw as the sun sets in Kubang Rotan, Kedah. Costs to hire workers to plant seedlings, spray pesticides and rent tilling and harvesting machines have gone up, leading many farmer to debts. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 25, 2018.A farmer working with harvesting machines at a padi field in Kota Sarang Semut, Kedah. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 25, 2018.A view of padi fields affected by Golden Apple Snail in Kampung Kubang Rotan in Kuala Kedah. The snails eat the padi shoots during the early stage of the crop's growth. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 25, 2018.Teenagers leaving a padi field in Kota Sarang Semut, Kedah after catching fish. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 25, 2018.Pinkish colour of Golden Apple Snail's embryo or locally known as Siput Gondang Emas seen on paddy stem at Kota Sarang Semut, Kedah. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 25, 2018.Paddy loaded onto a lorry before been send to the buying center during harvesting season in Kota Sarang Semut, Kedah. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 25, 2018.Farmers carrying padi to a lorry after their machine broke down at Kota Sarang Semut, in Kedah. Their declining incomes have made it hard for farmer to stay afloat and pay off debts. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 25, 2018.Farmers take a break in a padi field at Kota Sarang Semut, Kedah. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 25, 2018.A villager riding his motorcycle on a road between padi fields and a canal in Kota Sarang Semut, Kedah. The crop requires a lot of water, especially during the early stages of its growth. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 25, 2018.A farmer taking a break from threshing padi to separate the grain from the husk in Kubang Rotan in Kuala Kedah, Kedah. Some of the seeds will be reserved for next season's planting. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 25, 2018.A farmer separating rice seeds from their husks in Kubang Rotan, Kuala Kedah, Kedah. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 25, 2018.A farmer draining water from a spot in a padi field for him to catch fish after the harvesting season in Kubang Rotan, Kedah. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 25, 2018.A farmer seen at his padi field in Kuala Kedah. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 25, 2018.A farmer seting fire to padi straw in Alor Janggus, Kedah. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 25, 2018.
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