SHAH ALAM – Farmers’ markets in the state will be reopened in phases to ensure the smooth implementation of, and compliance to, standard operating procedures (SOPs) during the movement control order (MCO).
Selangor Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Modernisation of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Committee chairman Izham Hashim said for the time being, 22 farmers’ markets out of the 48 registered in the state will be reopened to the public.
“The reopening will begin with the Shah Alam Stadium farmers’ market today, we hope to publicise the reopening to help our traders market their agricultural produce and other fresh products such as meat.
“We will reopen in phases depending on the Covid-19 situation,” he said after inspecting the compliance to SOPs at the Shah Alam Stadium farmers’ market.
Izham said farmers’ markets in the state were not allowed to operate in the past two weeks as they were reviewing the relevant SOPs.
In another development, Izham said RM500,000 was allocated to purchase food baskets under the Kita Selangor package announced by Selangor Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, on January 20.
“The remaining RM1.5 million allocated for the Kita Selangor package will be channelled in the form of stimulus packages where fishermen will be given petrol vouchers, farmers will receive aid in the form of fertilisers while livestock breeders will receive animal feed,” he said.
A total of RM2 million was allocated to aid 10,160 farmers, fishermen and livestock breeders through the recently announced Kita Selangor package.
In addition, Izham said the state government, together with scientists from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) are at the final stages of research to produce animal feed using local ingredients including hay in efforts to supply cheaper animal feed.
“We will try to complete the research as soon as possible and God-willing it will be commercialised in the first quarter of this year,” he said. – Bernama, January 31, 2021
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