Farmers in Cameron Highlands are urging the government to strengthen import controls on vegetables, warning that current measures do not protect them from cheaper imports.
Chay Ee Mong, secretary of the Cameron Highlands Vegetable Growers Association and deputy chairman of the Federation of Malaysian Vegetable Farmers' Associations, said foreign vegetables, particularly from China, were impacting local growers. "At the farm gate, prices are often just 50 or 60 sen per kilo, and cheap imports make it worse. Imported vegetables come in freely without tariffs or duties, and we cannot compete," he said.
Chay called on the government to address the issue in the upcoming federal budget. "What we want in the coming budget is for the government to reinstate the old incentive scheme, provide more realistic diesel subsidies, reduce or discount land rental fees, introduce stricter controls on imported vegetables, and ease the burden of compulsory contributions. If the government can resolve even two or three of these issues, farmers will feel some relief," he said.
In 2009, the government provided RM81 (US$17) in cash aid per ton of vegetables produced. Chay urged the revival of the programme with an increased payout of RM120 (US$25) per ton.
He noted that farming costs, including fertiliser, pesticides, seeds, wages, and compulsory contributions to the Employees' Provident Fund and Social Security Organisation, have increased in recent years. Diesel subsidies are also limited. "On top of that, the diesel subsidy we receive is not enough. We only get a RM200 (US$42) monthly cash subsidy, but this is insufficient because diesel is needed for farm generators, not just vehicles," he said.
Currently, only farmers with annual sales below RM300,000 (US$63,000) qualify for the diesel subsidy, excluding larger operators. "We have proposed raising the ceiling to RM1 million (US$210,000), but nothing has come out of it, even after our dialogues with the deputy finance minister," Chay said.
He also called on Pahang to lower land rental fees, which are currently RM4,500 (US$950) per acre, or about US$2,350 per hectare, annually. He argued that the rate was too high given the low farm-gate prices.
Food security expert Fatimah Arshad supported the call for stricter import rules. "Imports of fruits, chillies, and vegetables from countries such as China, India, and Vietnam are cheaper, and this continuous influx has weakened local industries. Domestic producers cannot compete," she said.
Source: FMT
