Locals encouraged to take up agriculture to reduce food imports
BAU: The lack of locally produced food has forced Malaysia to incur a high import bill of at least RM4 billion every year, just to ensure food security for the people.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries Datuk Anthony Nogeh said this has led his ministry to carry out various programmes to encourage locals to venture into agriculture activities aimed at increasing local food production.
He said these programmes are also being implemented in Sarawak to ensure the people here can receive government assistance and, at the same time, boost their income through planting crops, breeding livestock or even inland aquaculture and marine fishing.
“Any country in the world will strive to ensure there is enough food for the people. But in Malaysia, we still lack enough food produced locally. Every year, Malaysia imports not less than RM4 billion worth of food even though the population of the country is only 32 million people.
“Our import bill is so high despite the small population. If compared to our neighbouring country Indonesia, they are able to produce food to feed the people despite having a population of more than 200 million. We in Malaysia like to import. We have many lands, including idle ones, but ( people are) not interested to plant,” he said when officiating at the presentation of pineapple planting assistance at Kampung Stenggang, near here on Sunday night.
He added that dependency on food import would have a negative effect on the people, especially when the currency value drops and price of imported goods increases.
“If we depend so much on imported food, when our currency value drops and price increases, we blame the prime minister. It is as if the prime minister alone consumes the RM4 billion worth of imported food,” he said.
On pineapple planting, Nogeh said the government is now encouraging the planting of the MD2 variety, which is of premium export quality and in demand in China.
He also said that pineapple is one of the crops identified as a new source of wealth for the country, as announced by the Prime Minister in Budget 2018.
“We encourage locals to plant MD2 pineapple and Musang King durian because these can be exported to other countries. While China currently imports Musang King durian in the form of paste, pineapple fruits in natural form can be accepted there. But at the moment, we don’t have enough volume for export (to more countries),” he said.
He also mentioned that a pilot MD2 pineapple project on a 50-acre site in Kampung Padang Pan was launched last month by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah to ensure Bau District can also be a producer of the premium pineapple variety.
The presentation of pineapple planting assistance to local farmers in Mas Gading parliamentary constituency is also aimed at encouraging them to plant the MD2 variety in their respective farms to boost their income, he added.
“This programme tonight ( Sunday), involving Malaysia Pineapple Industry Board ( LPNM), is also one of the ‘turun padang’ (go to the ground) programmes carried out by the ministry. I feel proud because as the deputy minister, I am able to get these federal agencies to ‘ turun padang’ together and meet the people and arrange for assistance programmes to be rendered to the identified recipients,” he said.
Nogeh, who is Mas Gading MP, also announced an allocation of RM150,000 to Kampung Stenggang to improve its drainage system and to build a bridge connecting agriculture roads in the village, following a request by village chief Gary Nosen.
Meanwhile, Kota Samarahan Municipal Council chairman Dato Peter Minos, who hails from Kampung Stenggang, called on his village mates to give full support to Nogeh when he defends Mas Gading in the coming general election.
He said Nogeh had introduced commercial crops such as Musang King durian and MD2 pineapple which offer a new source of income for the constituents, as well as implementation of other development programmes.
“I’m very happy to see this type of leader in Mas Gading,” said Minos.
Nogeh’s wife Datin Caroline Sabai, LPNM deputy director general Mahmud Kasim, Sarawak Agriculture Department acting director Dr Alvin Chai and LPNM Sarawak director Onn Abdul Shukor Tahiruddin were among those present at the event.