Ministry hopes to present padi farmer insurance scheme in budget 2018

The agriculture and agro-based industry ministry hopes an insurance scheme to assist padi farmers who sustained losses in disasters will be implemented in Budget 2018.

Minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said the insurance scheme was currently being finalised.

"We are in the final stage and will table it to the Cabinet in the next one or two months for it to be included in the budget at year-end," he told reporters after opening the Beras Nasional Berhad (Bernas) 2017 Padi Farmers Awards Night here last night.

He said among the mechanisms being considered for the scheme was area factor and funding mechanism, adding the scheme would benefit about 200,000 padi farmers nationwide.

Ahmad Shabery said for a start, Bernas had agreed to inject RM10 million to fund the insurance scheme.

Meanwhile, the award was held for the first time specially to celebrate excellent padi farmers, millers and wholesalers as partners of Bernas in the national padi and rice industry.

A total of 15 excellent awards were presented to seven padi farmers, four Bumiputera millers and four wholesale companies.

A padi farmer from Yan, Kedah, Datuk Azmi Jaafar, 66, won the top award of Loyal Padi Farmer 2016.

He took home a prize comprising a trophy, RM20,000 and a motorcycle.

Azmi was chosen based on his excellent yield of 450 tonnes with an average moisture rate of 18.8 per cent.

Apart from that, Bernas also presented contributions in the form of umrah packages to 100 padi farmers under the Bernas Loyal Padi Farmers initiative. - BERNAMA