‘Govt’s pampering of farmers with grants or subsidies has failed to develop rural economy’

SARIKEI: The Sarawak government’s ‘pampering’ of farmers with agricultural grants or subsidies over the years has failed to develop the rural economy, claimed Malaysia Hope Community (KHM) Bulat chairman Philip Wong Pak Ming.

According to him, although the Sarawak government has spent millions or even billions over the years to develop the rural economy, especially the agricultural sector, the livelihoods of farmers have not improved compared to 10, 20, or even 50 years ago.

“They are still poor and many fall below the poverty line. We are of the opinion that the approach by the state government, especially the Ministry of Agriculture, needs to undergo a comprehensive overhaul or review,” he opined in a statement yesterday.

Wong claimed the disbursement of subsidies put farmers in a comfort zone and the government should instead embark on a radical change in its rural development policy by ge ing farmers to switch to modern agricultural practices.

He suggested the government learn from countries such as Australia, New Zealand, China, Taiwan, the United States, and Thailand, which export agricultural products worth billions of dollars annually compared to Malaysia’s over RM60 billion worth of food imports every year.

“It is appalling to note that that corn, mu on, beef, and even leafy vegetables, which can grow in tropical climates, are on the list of our imported items. This shows that something is very wrong in our agricultural sector,” he said.

According to him, there is no future for small-scale traditional farmers as modern farming should ideally involve between 10 and 100 acres using new technology.