FERTILIZER SUBSIDY SCANDAL

I would like to comment what HAJIN write in his blog entitled "BAJA SABSIDI KOTA BELUD."

Most of paddy planters realize the importance of fertilizer in improving their yield. Nevertheless, due to hard living they have to "sell" the fertilizer for survival and not as a mean of easy life or money. Easy life is merely a dream for them with that small piece of land.

Most of paddy farmer are poor. They can not even pay for transportation cost of a Ringgit plus another couple of Ringgit for loading and unloading of the small fertilizer bag. It is not that they are lazy, but I think there is a scandal.

Once I asks a farmer when the fertilizer consignment arrive at his hut, "This fertilizer isn't heavy, I can lift it single handed, why you hire people to do the loading and unloading?"

"For survival," he said, "I have no vehicle to fetch the fertilizer. And it is the condition imposed by the transporter if I want to use his service. They don't want people to know how they do the business."

I am not satisfied with the answer and gestured for him to elaborate. He said, " Even if I have a chance for transport, the Fertilizer Store is always OUT OF STOCK when I come there. Not once but every time. These transporter is THE ONLY WAY we can take a glimpse at this fertilizer with the total transportation cost of RM3 per bags inclusive loading and unloading. Usually they prefer goods(fertilizers) rather than money. If you in my shoe, you might do the same. Don't you?"

Cat caught my tongue.