Kota Kinabalu: The Federal Government’s Agro Madani Sales initiative benefits not just consumers looking for cheaper groceries, but also helps farmers sell their produce directly to the public.
“The purpose of this programme is so that farmers can sell directly to the market, without middlemen. That is our goal,” Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Chan Foong Hin said at the Agro Madani Sales held at the Damai Multipurpose Hall compound, here, Sunday.
He said the initiative, a rebranding of the previous “Farm to Market” programme, allows smallholders to bypass intermediaries and reach customers themselves while offering the public savings of up to 30 per cent below market prices.
“Every item sold through the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama), Farmers’ Organisation Authority (LPP) and the Malaysian Fisheries Development Board (LKIM) are sold at prices about 30 per cent lower than the market. Basically, to help ease the burden of cost of living,” he said.
He said that Federal agencies including the Fama, LPP and LKIM help facilitate the sales, with the Ministry allocating RM30 million nationwide this year for the initiative.
He said the agencies also step in to help farmers facing oversupply problems by purchasing their excess produce.
“If you are farming and you cannot sell because of a glut, if you have no place to sell, you can contact Fama and Fama will come and help you,” Chan said.
However, he cautioned that prices offered during glut situations may be lower due to market conditions.
“Of course, they cannot offer very good prices because the prices are glutted. So, that is where the government through Fama, LPP and LKIM come in. We have market intervention to help,” he said.
Chan said the LKIM focuses mainly on fish products, Fama handles fresh produce such as vegetables and fruits, while LPP offers a wider range including rice.
He said that such sales events are held weekly across Malaysia but cannot be conducted continuously in one location.
“We hope not to disturb too much. Every hawker, every stall owner, they have their own market and their own business. So, programmes like this, we cannot do throughout the month,” he said.
The programme at hand was strategically located away from major markets like Gaya Street and the main Kota Kinabalu market to avoid disrupting existing traders.
“Before the new year in Kota Kinabalu, I asked Fama to hold one at this area because this area is not too close to markets like Likas and the city centre, so we do not disturb the ecosystem,” Chan said.
He added that just last Friday, he had launched a larger Agro Madani Sales event in Putrajaya before returning to Sabah for the Luyang programme.
Additionally, he said the Federal and State governments are working hand-in-hand to ensure progress, citing the RM84 million Federal allocation for Sabah this year to support 51 agriculture-related development projects in the State.
Present was Sabah and Labuan Fama Director Sebastian Chew.
