By Teoh El Sen - Free Malaysia Today,FMT EXCLUSIVE KUALA LUMPUR: Even as newly-minted Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Chua Tee Yong assumed his post on June 1, a slew of issues followed.
And though the 33-year-old son of MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek admitted that a lot of hard work is needed -- sometimes even at the expense of family time -- to tackle the problems under his ministry, he is unfazed.
In the first of a two-part interview with FMT, the first-term Labis MP answers at length on some recent issues in Cameron Highlands, the farmland that generates exports totalling RM505 million in vegetables, flowers and fruits for the country.
He also touched on pig farming and the livestock industry at large, maintaining a positive outlook despite the industry's "constant battle" with development.
On the Bertam Valley issue in Cameron Highlands, some 400 farmers had on June 29 used their vehicles to block a main road in a three-hour standoff with enforcement officers who were supposed to tear down their farms to make way for a road project.
Chua himself is now playing a supportive role in the MCA task force, which was formed after the standoff, to sort out the problem and come up with a more holistic approach to increasing vegetable cultivation and to resolving the land problems in Cameron Highlands.
Chua told FMT that illegal farms have been a problem for many years and he did not expect an overnight solution. However, he said solutions could be to relocate or legalise the farms, but he added that both require the state's cooperation and assistance.
Also in Cameron Highlands, farmers recently appealed to the government to lift the 2007 ban on Bangladeshi workers and to extend foreign worker permits from the current five years to 10.
They said severe labour shortage, especially of Bangladeshi workers, had forced two of the four tea plantations to cease operations and has vegetable farmers fighting to stay afloat. Due to the shortage of foreign labourers, they claim prices of farm products have also almost doubled since April.
Chua told FMT that the government was already looking at extending the permits, but stressed that public interest and safety have to be considered because of complaints of crimes allegedly committed by Bangladeshis.
He sees his ministry as a government entity that is supposed to "provide services and funds to ensure that we have a certain level of production of food and livestock fisheries to sustain the demand and consumption of the country".
But Chua, a former chief financial officer in a subsidiary of a government-linked company, said: "Of course, this is ultimately what we hope for but to attain self-sufficiency is not easy.”
Excerpts of Chua's interview:
FMT: Let's talk about Cameron Highlands, can you comment on the Bertam Valley situation, has a solution been worked out?
Chua Tee Yong: The presidential council has formed a task force led by Liow Tiong Lai (deputy MCA president and Health Minister) on this. Basically, Bertam Valley is about land matters and so this clearly requires the assistance of Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakob.
As for me, I would be playing a supporting role to the task force.
There is some reprieve in that there would not be any enforcement till harvesting is over. Right now, the vegetables are being harvested.
There are also other issues with regard to Cameron Highlands, especially the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama), the marketing arm of the ministry. On July 28, I will meet the farmers' association to discuss about the main issues. We have heard about the suggestions for the 3P programme (grading, packaging and labelling of agricultural products) and we will also look at how Fama is promoting our products overseas. Also, how to improve the pasar tani (farmers' market). These are issues that have not been really looked at right now.
What about the illegal farms?
There are many illegal farms (in Cameron Highlands), and we are trying (to seek solutions). There are only a selected few who have land title... some have freehold title. Of course, we cannot do this in a forceful way. We would also need to balance the requirements to ensure the price of vegetables stays consistent. As you know, the prices have been going up and down as they are not controlled items.
What is regrettable is that they (illegal farmers) have already ploughed the land. Before they cleared and planted, enforcement (officers) should have stepped in to prevent it. If that had happened, I believe there would have been less conflict.
The task force is trying to look at the matter in its totality. It is an issue that has been there for quite a long time; it was recently highlighted in the media... All this will require the cooperation of the state land office and Forestry Department to check on illegal land clearing, which is detrimental to the environment and the tourism industry.
Will an alternative piece of land be offered to them at this stage?
It would be very good if that is done, but we have to consider that the plants are growing well because of the temperature. For the sake of argument, if you give these farmers a plot of land in Kelantan, Terengganu or Perak where the temperature is different, then the production may be affected. Export of flowers from Cameron Highlands every year is worth RM300 million, and a lot of these go to Japan.
Then would you support legalising these farms?
Yes, we are trying to do that. Legalising some of them would also help; they are already there and the farmers are willing to invest... but because of uncertainty, they hesitate.
But in order to legalise them, we need the state to work with us; we can't just issue our own licences... You can see a similar example in Puchong and Sungai Besi; at one time the two places were flooded with vegetable farms, but because of development, they are no longer there.
However, I don't expect an overnight solution to this issue, which has been here for over 20 year.,
How about the shortage of foreign labour in Cameron Highlands highlighted in the media recently?The problem with foreign workers is not just confined to Cameron Highlands.
To date, the whole agriculture industry employs about 163,000 foreign workers... (excluding workers in the oil palm and rubber estates). This constitutes 9% of the total number of foreign workers in the country... Ever since I've been appointed, I've conducted a few dialogue sessions with the farmers' association... we are aware of this issue (shortage of foreign workers); in fact, our officers have prepared a report on this, and we have brought it up to the minister. Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who chairs the Cabinet Committee Meeting on Foreign and Illegal Workers, will also look into the possibility of extending the stay of foreign workers. It is important to get a five-year extension because workers can develop their skills and acquire more experience, say, in the livestock industry. I am given to understand that foreign workers in the oil palm and rubber industry have had their stay extended.
What about Bangladeshi workers specifically?
Yes, if we are talking about cultivating tea, flowers and vegetables in Cameron Highlands, these workers are specifically requested.
They (Bangladeshis) seem to acclimatise well to the local weather but we also understand that they do pose social problems. That's why extending their stay must be balanced with other considerations in the interest of the public... because, ultimately, we cannot look at one party's requirements at the expense of the others.
Federal Agriculture Marketing Authority (Fama) deputy director-general (development) Sahbani Saimin said Cameron Highlands needs to move away from conventional farming methods and start adopting a "long-term solution" of high-tech farming practices to address the labour shortage in Cameron Highlands. Can this be done?
When we talk about farming and high-tech methods, there are some areas that still require manual labour, such as plucking the flowers. Moreover, high-tech farming requires investment... To move towards modern farming is not wrong; it's just that the push and pull factors are not there.
You've been doing a lot of work on pig farming; what are the problems we are facing and what are the possible solutions?
The situation for pig farming at this moment is that we are 95% to 96% self-sufficient. I don't like to confine myself to pig farming because as a whole, the livestock industry do face problems.
The problem is peculiar in that consumers want a supply of livestock for their food but at the same time they do not want the livestock industry to be sited anywhere near their housing area. As development progresses, certain livestock industries which had been around for 40 years or so are forced to move out. And it's not easy to find a place to relocate them.
With livestock also comes the problem of pollution... It creates a bad image for the industry although there are some players who are really good at their work.
We are trying to promote the production of beef, as we are only 30% to 30% self-sufficient and a lot of it is imported. As for chicken, we are 125% self-sufficient; we are exporting them, in fact.
The livestock industry needs to be managed properly to prevent pollution and for that, we also need self-regulation. We need to reduce public criticism of this industry.
What about the centralised pig farming area in Negri Sembilan? You previously said you will look into that, so what has happened?
From what I understand from the livestock association members, they had a meeting and are planning to move there next year.
The abattoir is ready for the pig farmers, but whether they are keen to go there is not something I can push. I can provide the water but I can't pull the cow to drink it.
Centralised pig farming in Negri Sembilan has been there since 1999. It was approved by the state government.
How about at the federal level?
Since I've been appointed, I have been looking at the matter at a federal level to see if there are any more issues. The main issue here is to ensure that farmers conform to guidelines.
Eventhough the Chinese or non-Bumiputera population is increasing, the pig population has been quite stagnant. The pig population is now about 1.4 million compared with 2.1 million before the Nipah virus attack.
No comments:
Post a Comment