Buying locally grown produce will help farmers in Singapore stay in business and encourage them to produce more, said Minister Grace Fu. - ST
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): Singaporeans have been urged to buy locally grown vegetables to support farms and businesses here and mitigate prices as farms across the Causeway continue to be inundated by floods.
This will help local farmers stay in business and encourage them to produce more, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu.
In a statement posted on her Facebook page on Sunday, Fu said: “The heavy rain over the past few days has inundated farms in Malaysia. Vegetable prices in Malaysia may rise, and we will likely feel the impact.”
She added that the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment has been working with farmers to ramp up local production to keep price increases of vegetables under control.
“Consumers doing their part to support local produce is an equally important part of the equation. This keeps our local farms in business and encourages them to produce more, which mitigates the impact of future supply shocks... I encourage Singaporeans to #SupportLocal as much as you can, and not only when there are price hikes for imports. Let’s all help to grow a vibrant agri-food ecosystem in Singapore,” she said.
The ongoing floods in Johor are among the worst in Malaysia, with all 10 districts in the state hit by flood waters caused by non-stop rain since late February.
About 50,500 people were housed in more than 300 temporary relief centres in Johor, Pahang and Melaka as at Sunday evening, according to a portal of Malaysia’s Department of Social Welfare.
The floods have claimed at least four lives and left many stranded as roads have been cut off by the rising waters.
Lim Ser Kwee, president of Malaysia’s Federation of Vegetable Farmers Associations, said the sudden and heavy rain has damaged more than one million kg of vegetables on farms in the southern peninsula, with losses amounting to tens of millions of ringgit.
He added that farmers in Johor state reported that their water pumps installed on riverbanks had been washed away, while machinery was submerged in the water.
“They reported flooded roads, which have affected transport vehicles entering the farms, causing supply chaos in the vegetable wholesale market,” said Lim.
Farther north, less than ideal weather has also caused concern among farmers.
Cameron Highlands Vegetable Growers Association secretary Chay Ee Mong has warned of a possible price increase should the weather pattern remain unstable.
“Prices fluctuate according to the supply and demand situation in the wholesale markets and the quality of vegetables,” he said, adding that farmers often ended up making more losses than profits.
“When there is little sun during rainy weather, vegetables grow much more slowly because less photosynthesis takes place, affecting yields and supply. Consumers should understand that the weather patterns, vegetable prices and production are closely related.”
