Indonesia woos Malaysian farmers

THE Indonesian government is wooing Malaysian farmers with attractive perks including tax breaks, a guarantee of labour supply and provision of some 600ha of idle land in Batam island to grow vegetables and fruits.

The news was conveyed to Malaysian farmers by an Indonesian agriculture ministry official attending the agriculture expo in Johor Baru last month, Nanyang Siang Pau reported yesterday.

Federation of Malaysian Vegetable Farmers Associations president Tan Su Tiok told the daily the Indonesian official disclosed that “Batam has 1,500 acres (607ha) of idle land waiting to be tilled.”

According to the official, the land on the island is ideal for the cultivation of crops, he said without naming the official.

“He had given us an assurance that there would not be any problem with the supply of farm hands as the Indonesian government would help source manpower from among the locals.

“He also said that if Malaysian farmers are interested to open up farms in Indonesia, his government is willing to offer them tax-free benefits,” said Tan.

He believed this will lead to a win-win situation given the shortage of land that is available to farmers in Malaysia, whereas what Indonesia wants is to enhance its agriculture technology while increasing crop production.

He said the federation is considering sending a fact-finding delegation to Indonesia.

“(But) Capital outlay aside, making forays abroad require guts and lots of energy. It is a case of ‘the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak’ for the veterans in the farming industry no matter how big the carrot dangled in front of them,” he said, hinting that only the younger and more energetic batch of farmers can take up the offer.