KUALA LUMPUR: The country has enough fertiliser for now despite rising global prices, with the government also working on longer-term moves to stabilise supply and improve quality, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Chan Foong Hin said checks with fertiliser makers and suppliers showed that current stock can cover about nine months of national demand.
"This means we have sufficient fertiliser supply until the end of this year," he told Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin (PN-Putrajaya) during Question Time on Monday (June 22).
Radzi had referred to an earlier reply by Economy Minister Datuk Seri Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir that fertiliser prices here are projected to rise by 15% to 20% and animal feed by about 8%, following the Middle East conflict. On the ground, however, he said some farmers are seeing fertiliser prices jump by up to 40%.
Chan said the impact is not uniform.
"It is not every type of fertiliser that goes up. Some suppliers have raised prices, some have not, depending on their stock," he said.
Radzi also questioned why the proposed national fertiliser buffer stock was being treated as a long-term measure instead of being set up immediately, given the risk of a prolonged conflict.
Chan said setting up a buffer stock involves cost and logistics, such as who will hold and manage the stock and where it will be stored.
"These matters need proper planning and consideration. Since we have enough supply for now, we see the buffer stock as a long-term measure, not something needed right away," he said.
For the immediate term, the ministry is focusing on padi, which he described as the country’s most critical crop.
He said fertiliser supply for padi is being secured through the National Farmers Organisation (Nafas), which manages key schemes such as the Federal Government Padi Fertiliser Scheme (SPKPP), the Padi Output Incentive Scheme (SIPP) and the Hill padi Fertiliser and Pesticide Scheme (SPRPP).
"If we can protect fertiliser supply for padi, we help secure the country’s food supply," Chan said.
On concerns about fertiliser quality and its effect on yields and rice self-sufficiency, he said a Fertiliser Bill is now being drafted and is about 70% to 80% complete.
"This Bill is important to regulate quality standards and the distribution chain, and to ensure stable fertiliser supply," he said, adding that he hoped MPs would support it when it is tabled.
At the same time, the ministry wants to gradually cut dependence on imported chemical fertiliser by promoting organic and biofertilisers and effective microorganism (EM) products.
"Raw materials for organic fertilisers mostly come from local sources.
"We want to grow the local compost industry by giving incentives for organic and compost fertiliser based on agricultural waste," he said, citing chicken farm waste that can be turned into organic or biofertiliser through composting.
Chan said these steps are aimed at managing both the cost and quality of fertiliser for farmers in the long run.
Turning to vegetables, Radzi raised the plight of smallholders and vegetable growers hit by higher input costs and a glut of cheaper imported vegetables, warning that this could hurt local producers and, over time, food security.
In response, Chan said import rules have been tightened to give some room to local growers.
"From June 1, vegetable importers are required to comply with a certificate of analysis (COA). If you want to bring in cheaper vegetables compared with local produce, you must meet this requirement," he said.
The COA rule, he explained, is meant to ensure that imported vegetables meet food safety and quality standards while adding an extra step for importers to enter the domestic market.
"In an indirect way, this gives a layer of protection to our local vegetable farmers against dumping," he added.
