Perak MB told not to offer ‘out of mind’ proposals to solve food crisis

KUALA LUMPUR – Pasir Pinji assemblyman Howard Lee has lambasted Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad for urging the people in the state to grow vegetables and rear livestock for their own consumption due to the current food supply shortage.

Although Saarani’s proposal may appear to be an out-of-the-box solution, Lee said in reality it is an “out of mind” suggestion. 

While concurring with the menteri besar that the country’s food crisis, which has resulted in the increase in food prices as well as disruption to the chicken supply, requires drastic measures, Lee expressed his scepticism with Saarani’s proposal.

“However, is the suggestion to grow vegetables and breed livestock truly really an acceptable solution?” the DAP central executive council committee member asked in a statement. 

“Before making a suggestion as he pleases, what the Perak Menteri Besar needs to consider is how many people in the state have land for them to farm or raise livestock? 

“How many have the time to farm or raise livestock when they are so busy with their daily activities? 

“Lastly, how many have the experience or knowledge to grow vegetables and breed livestock?”

On Tuesday, Saarani called on Perak residents to grow vegetables and rear livestock for their own consumption to reduce the effects of the rising cost of living, which is due to spikes in the prices of agricultural products and livestock meat, such as chicken and mutton, while the surplus could be sold.

Is Perak govt ready to commit? 

In reality, Lee said, those living in terrace houses, apartments and flats do not have the land space to grow their own vegetables and rear livestock.  

The DAP man also questioned if the state government is ready to provide full commitment to realise the proposal, if Saarani truly wants the people to heed his advice. 

The Perak DAP secretary is of the opinion that the state government should provide land, working capital, seedlings, saplings, adequate education as well as training, so that every Perak citizen can cultivate crops and breed livestock for their own use through State Agriculture Department Corporation subsidiaries. 

Pointing out that farm smallholders who independently grow vegetables in the state have been evicted by the Perak government, he questioned if the state administration is truly committed to ensuring food security. 

“These smallholders are examples of independent citizens. They have been involved in agriculture for decades and therefore, have the experience and knowledge. Some of them have applied for a Temporary Passenger Licence, but have been ignored.  

“Now they are being evicted from the land they are cultivating because the developers want to build more terrace houses and apartments, which definitely do not have the land space for homeowners to grow their own vegetables,” he said.  

He also said the food crisis plaguing the country is due to the failure of the federal government in formulating policies.

For instance, he said, the decision to supply chickens in the market stems from the actions of farmers who had to stop production because they could not afford the costs.

“The prices of chicken feed rose sharply which forced the farmers to raise the price of raw chicken.  

“The government had imposed a ceiling price on raw chicken but at the same time, it failed to allocate subsidies to farmers, which became the cause of chicken production being halted until the supply was cut off.”

Explain mechanism in implementing ‘grow plants and rear livestock’ proposal

Meanwhile, Muda’s Perak executive committee member Moo Keng Hao has urged the state government to explain the mechanism required to implement Saarani’s suggestion. 

In a statement today, Moo said the proposal by Saarani should be in line with the government’s approach in providing facilities, such as applications for temporary farm-worker housing. 

In addition, he said, assistance and education in the form of campaigns on hydroponic and aquaponic plants should also be strengthened to help realise the proposal. 

“Following the suggestion, many questions have arisen but the government has not presented the solution.  

“The question is what if the people were to explore idle land for cultivation purposes, will they be assisted by the government or will they be evicted, as well as have legal actions taken against them, which has happened previously? 

“Assistance should be given to all citizens without bureaucratic complexity,” he said. – The Vibes, June 3, 2022