THE state government does not have any specific programmes to assist farmers produce organic fertilisers as a move to control the price of fertiliser which is considered a burden to farmers and consumers.
The government, however, has programs to assist farmers in producing organic fertiliser on a small scale basis such as composting, which is included in the agricultural course conducted by the Pusat Latihan Petani.
The assistance is aimed at helping farmers reduce their expenses on buying fertiliser, Deputy Chief Minister cum Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Yahya Hussin said.
According to Yahya, as of 2013, the Agriculture Training Centre in Kota Belud has conducted 11 courses on producing organic fertiliser to train agriculture technicians who will in turn assist 1,193 farming groups throughout the state.
Other than the courses, the Agriculture Department also provides ‘Skim Organik Malaysia’ (SOM) certification to farmers who abide by the regulations of the national organic standards.
Yahya added that so far, nine farms in Sabah have received the SOM certification.