MEGAT Shah Rizal Noor Ikhsan in his letter, “Control supply chain” (NST, Jan 11), suggested community farming and control of the supply chain to reduce our dependence on imports and to manage the rise in the cost of living.
That is the reality. During a sightseeing trip to a farming community in Selangor, I met a farmer who talked about his passion for farming and the woes he faced.
He, with his workmen, toil to grow vegetables for consumption.
Yet, at the end of the day, he does not get enough profit to keep him going.
The reason is the pricing of the middlemen that puts farmers in a “take it or leave it” situation.
To cite an example, the
selling price of ladies’ fingers in supermarkets in the Klang Valley ranges between RM7 and RM11 per kilo.
However, the middlemen’s buying price is 99 sen per kilo. It seems incredible that the middlemen are paying only in sen.
Our farmers are at their mercy.
In addition, the pricing and costs have increased because of the poor quality of seeds and pesticides.
And even though there is a subsidy for pesticides, this is not factored into the cost.
n MENA JEYARAM,Subang Jaya, Selangor