THE report stating that a rice-farming community in Kedah had threatened to switch to oil palm should not be taken lightly.

If the government intends to increase food production and ensure food security, this kind of call must be heeded.

The request for the price of padi to be increased from 65 sen per kg to RM1 per kg is not unreasonable.

A call to a padi farmer in Selangor revealed that the farmers in Selangor had their padi priced at around RM1,130 per tonne recently.

It is only reasonable for rice farmers to get this new rate after so many years and after all, the price of fertilisers doubled last year.
Therefore, the ceiling price of 65 sen per kg is not reasonable any more.

The amount of subsidies provided by the government also can no longer withstand the impact of rising costs that farmers have to incur.

They need farming incentives or subsidies, but it is important to channel the kind of incentives that directly help them to produce and secure a good income.

Subsidies can only be meaningful if farmers have a good margin (low production costs) and farm-gate prices.

For many years, all parties -- the government, the private sector and consumers -- have not paid much attention to rice farmers, even though we know they are the ones who feed us.

Farming has become an obsolete vocation that nobody in their right mind would go into.

Ironically, it is this kind of vocation that should be paid highly.

Farmers can be considered professionals in their own right.

The farming communities serve a noble role in feeding the world and the urban population has become dependent on food producers.

It is unfair to expect sacrifices from the hands that are feeding the nations.