PETALING JAYA: Farmers and agriculture industry players are calling for government support to help keep food prices under control as rising operational costs continue to burden the sector.
Cameron Highlands Vegetable Farmers Organisation president Datuk Chai Kok Lim said immediate government intervention is needed to help farmers cope with soaring expenses.
“For us farmers, it is almost impossible to reduce production costs ourselves as wages, transportation, packaging and fertilisers have all become more expensive.
“Even if we tried to keep prices low, these rising costs are simply getting too heavy for us to bear alone,” he said in an interview.
Chai said the government could look at reducing land taxes for farmers as a short term temporary solution.
“Land taxes in Cameron Highlands are particularly very expensive, so the government should consider lowering them at least in the short term until this global supply crisis is resolved,” he added.
On May 3, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said Malaysians may have to pay more for food in the coming months due to increasing production costs.
“For example, animal feed costs account for up to 70% of chicken production, while fertiliser can make up 40% to 50% of the cost of vegetables.
“When these costs increase, market prices may also be affected,” Mohamad said.
Natural Farming Association Malaysia secretary Tan Hong Boon said providing subsidies for diesel and transportation costs could provide immediate relief to farmers and keep food costs down.
“More diesel subsidies for farmers and their logistics networks would be the best at tackling the root of the growing production costs,” he said.
He also suggested for farmers themselves to adopt natural farming methods and systems that could help lower long-term production costs.
“Methods like ‘WaterSave planting system’ can reduce the cost of pumping water for watering plants by trapping rainwater underground to create a hidden water reservoir for crops.
“Farmers just need to line a dug planting area with a waterproof membrane, add a layer of sand to the membrane, then add soil on top so rainwater is stored as a reservoir membrane and sand layer.
“The government should also push for adoption of other innovative farming technologies that are still only adopted on the small scale that saves energy, fertiliser or logistics inputs,” he said.
Durian Manufacturers Association president Eric Chan Yee Hong said the authorities should closely monitor any unjustified price hikes by certain sectors taking advantage of the current situation.
“Some are using this crisis as an excuse although they are already receiving government subsidies, so stopping these people are key to keeping prices down.
“Durian farming in particular is challenging now not only because of this crisis but also due to rising competition from neighbouring countries,” he said.
Mohd Izzuddin Che Arifin of Trinardi Timur Sdn Bhd, which is involved in poultry and animal feed farming, said efforts to strengthen Malaysia’s domestic food production capabilities need to be expedited.
“Some initiatives implementation has been very slow like the utilisation of palm kernel cake, a by-product of our vast palm plantations, which can be processed and utilised as an ingredient in animal feed production.
“If properly developed, this could help reduce dependency on imported feed raw materials such as corn and soybean meal which would significantly help reduce long-term operational costs for farmers,” he said.
