Dr M tells farmers to grow vegetables, fruits to reduce import bill
KUALA LUMPUR: In a bid to address the country’s huge food import bill, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said farmers should diversify and venture into vegetable and fruit farming, on top of using modern technology.
He said this is why the government has advocated mixed farming to ensure a stable and better income for them.
“They shouldn’t rely on one particular crop alone because when the price drops, the farmer concerned will be affected,” he said, when opening the 22nd Annual General Meeting of the National Association of Smallholders Malaysia today.
Mahathir said many of the vegetables and fruits now being imported can be cultivated in the country, similar to what the Arab nations are doing, with the use of vertical farming technology.
This means they can produce the crops on a small piece of land but generate a huge income, he said.
“This technology is available at the Ministry of Agriculture (and Agro-based Industry),” he said.
Saying that pineapple cultivation can provide good returns, Mahathir related how a lorry driver with a salary of RM1,000 a month is now earning RM1 million annually after venturing into pineapple farming.
“The government hopes that farmers will be able to earn as much as the people working in the cities so that there is little difference in the income gap between the urban and rural communities,” he said.
Bernama
