JERLUN: Seasoned farmer Che Ani Mat Zain spoke with a tremble in his voice as he discussed the start of the latest padi planting season, which began earlier this month.
"We are supposed to start the second cultivation season by mid-October, but it was slightly delayed due to an unusual rainfall rate," said the veteran farmer who was just discharged from a hospital recently due to an ailment.
His frail condition, however, did not deter Che Ani from speaking up about the welfare of some 57,000 padi farmers under the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (Mada).
"Investigate thoroughly and act against those responsible. There must be a total clean up in Nafas.
"The farmers deserve better-quality subsidised fertilisers and pesticides from Nafas," he said in an interview at his home here.
He was commenting on the ongoing investigation into the National Farmers' Organisation which saw the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) hauling up five individuals to assist a probe into an alleged abuse of power involving a fertiliser procurement cartel worth RM60 million.
Che Ani, who is a spokesman for padi farmers in the Mada area, lamented that the quality of agricultural input supplied by Nafas - which is subsidised by the government, has been dwindling over the years.
He said padi farmers have been receiving subsidised fertilisers and pesticides worth up to RM1,400 per hectare through Nafas.
"I had always suspected something was amiss with Nafas. I wondered how Nafas recorded losses despite being the sole entity appointed by the government to supply subsidised agricultural input to the padi farmers.
"There were suggestions for the supply to be done through an open tender system, but the politicians argued that Nafas and the farmers would lose out.
"Ironically, padi farmers are made to spend an additional RM500 to acquire supplementary fertiliser and pesticide for each hectare of padi field to produce a good quality crop," claimed Che Ani, without naming the politicians he was referring to.
He said padi farmers had to put up with the rising cost of agricultural input and dwindling yield due to the devastating impact of climate change.
"Hopefully, the government will clean up Nafas and the farmers will be getting a better supply of fertiliser and pesticide subsidised by the government," he said.
Meanwhile, National Padi Farmers Brotherhood Organisation (Pesawah) chairman Abdul Rashid Yob called for a restructuring of Nafas.
"The Farmers' Organisation Authority (FOA) as the registrar body should review the entire supply chain in the padi cultivation industry," he said when contacted.
Rashid stressed the need to revamp the distribution and supply of agricultural input to ensure justice for padi farmers nationwide, since 95 per cent of Nafas revenue is from the fertiliser supply.
"We hope the investigation carried out by the MACC will create an opportunity for Nafas to operate without disruption from outsiders," he said.
On Oct 29, it was reported that the MACC was investigating a cartel involved in the distribution and supply of padi fertiliser contracts linked to a ministry, with a total value of RM1.8 billion.
A day later, it was reported that the MACC detained a marketing executive from a company linked to a padi fertiliser procurement project valued at RM60 million.
Following the arrest, the graft buster had arrested four more individuals, including two former general managers of a public organisation to assist the probe.