Nogeh (third left) and others give the thumbs-up to the Pasar Tani in Lundu.
LUNDU: The Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries is calling pineapple, banana, durian, papaya, mangosteen and starfruit farmers in the state to plant their crops on a larger scale for export.
Its Deputy Minister Anthony Nogeh Gumbek urged farmers not to limit themselves to the local market as these fruits were in high demand in countries such as the Middle East, Europe, Singapore, China and Hong Kong.
“In fact, we have started exporting pineapples and bananas directly to the Middle East, and we are starting to export the ‘musang king’ durian to Hong Kong and even more pineapples to Singapore. Therefore, we urge local farmers in the state to produce more to meet this demand,” Nogeh said when met after officiating at the launch of the Pasar Tani at the Pasar Jubli Perak carpark here last Saturday.
Nogeh, who is also Mas Gading MP, added that fruits like mangosteen, papaya, rambutan and starfruit also received high demand from the Middle East and Europe while the ‘musang king’ durian had high demand in China.
However, he said the current supply of fruits was not enough to fulfill the export demand as the fruits were not only seasonal, but local farmers were not planting them in a scale large enough to be sent in containers.
“Therefore, the production of these fruits needs to be increased so that we can export them in containers and on regular interval. The increase in exports of local fruits will help to raise the value of the Ringgit, a source of income for the country and to balance the country’s import of food which is about RM17 billion a year at its peak,” Nogeh added.
Touching on the Pasar Tani, Nogeh said there were now 22 such markets which were set up by Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) that operated every Saturday and Sunday on the first week of every month.
“This helps local farmers to sell their produce from their own gardens directly without going through a middle party. Additionally, grocery stores in the state can buy and wrap local farmers’ produce to sell them to the public.
“More markets like this can help farmers obtain a higher income and encourage them to enter the entrepreneurial industry while members of the public can get fresher produce at affordable prices,” he said.
Nogeh said the market with the most overwhelming response was Medan Niaga Satok with as many as 1,000 vendors selling various products.
The launching ceremony was also attended by Fama deputy director of entrepreneur development Abdul Razak Abdul Majid and Fama Sarawak director Paza Dan.