KOTA KINABALU: Warisan Vice President Datuk Junz Wong urged the Sabah Government to establish fertiliser reserves, monitor supply chains and protect smallholders from escalating input costs before the global price surge hits local farmers.
“Sabah must not be caught reacting late to a problem that the world is already warning about,” said the Tanjung Aru Assemblyman.
Junz, who is also former State Agriculture and Food Industries Minister, said most fertilisers used in the Sabah are imported and priced according to international markets, making Sabah particularly exposed to the ongoing disruptions affecting the Strait of Hormuz, an important global shipping route for fertiliser trade.
He proposed five measures that the GRS State Government can act on without delay, namely, establish a price and supply monitoring mechanism, build strategic fertiliser reserves for oil palm, paddy and food crops, provide targeted temporary assistance to smallholders, promote soil testing and precision agriculture and accelerate the use of organic alternatives, including compost derived from palm oil mill by-products.
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