KUALA LUMPUR: The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry is intensifying efforts to strengthen local vegetable production and reduce reliance on imports.
Deputy Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup said measures include improving market access for farmers and reducing the grip of middlemen.
He added the Agrofood Supply and Distribution Chain programme introduces Forward Agreements to guarantee markets and fairer prices for growers.
Arthur said this during the ministry’s Budget 2026 committee stage winding up in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (Nov 11) in response to issues raised by Khoo Poay Tiong (PH–Kota Melaka) concerning Cameron Highlands farmers.
The MP highlighted unstable prices due to cheaper imports, middlemen dominance and the need to attract youth into agriculture.
Arthur said the ministry is tightening controls on imported vegetables through the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority under the Grading, Packaging and Labelling Regulations to ensure only quality and safe produce enters the market.
“For this purpose, RM2mil has been allocated under the Agrofood Standards and Regulatory Ecosystem Strengthening Project in 2026,” he said.
He added that RM3mil will be channelled to the Rantai programme for industry engagement and long-term import management strategies.
He said another RM6mil is set aside to expand Agrobazaar Online and strengthen Pasar Tani outlets for direct farmer to consumer sales.
Arthur said Fama provides up to date farmgate, wholesale and retail price information on its official website.
He said this helps farmers make informed marketing decisions.
On another matter, Muhammad Islahuddin Abas (PN–Mersing) asked about performance indicators for Jemaluang Dairy Valley.
Arthur said the project aims to produce 7.4 million litres of fresh milk within five years as its KPI.
“At present, the JDV farm focuses fully on managing dairy cattle to support local milk supply,” he said.
“For biosecurity reasons, it has yet to open for agrotourism, but this can be considered once operations stabilise,” he added.
