Cheap imports, aimless programmes hurting farmers

The right help: With proper policies, incentives and technological help, local farmers will be able to produce bountiful crops to match major food producers like China, Japan and India, say agriculture and food security experts.

PETALING JAYA: Vegetable farmers and livestock breeders say that cheap imports and unfocused programmes are why their industries are “in a crisis” despite all the attention given to agriculture for the past two decades.

Local growers are unable to compete with cheap vegetables brought in from China, Vietnam and Thailand, which is why some farms are leaving their crops to rot instead of harvesting them.