Call for high level committee to monitor foreigners who own market sites, farms

KUALA LUMPUR: There is a need to set up a new committee at the highest Cabinet level to monitor foreigners who own, among others, farmers’ market (Pasar Tani) sites and small farms in the country.

Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Salahuddin Ayub said the ministry could not act alone and needed the help of other ministries to address the issue in a holistic manner.

He said the function of the proposed committee differs from the existing Cabinet committee chaired by the Home Minister to control the influx of foreign workers.

“At the Agriculture and Agrobased Industry Ministry the most we can afford is to provide the best facilities, based on the allocations that we have to encourage local young people to get involved in this industry.

“But if there is an uncontrolled influx of foreigners and loose renting and ownership of buildings by them, I think we need to discuss this issue at the highest Cabinet level,” he said at the Dewan Rakyat here, yesterday, in reply to a supplementary question by Datuk Seri M. Saravanan (BNTapah) on the steps taken by the government to control foreign ownership of small farms and trading sites.

Earlier, when replying to Saravanan’s original question on the ministry’s proposal to increase the income of young people in agriculture, Salahuddin said, the Young Agropreneur Council, a new platform to aid youths in the industry, would be launched after the Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism (Maha) 2018 exhibition is held from Nov 22 to Dec 2. - Bernama