JOHOR BARU: Farmers grappling with rising operational costs due to the high price of fertilisers and pesticides are hoping for some form of government subsidy to cushion the impact.

       Federation of Malaysian Vegetable Farmers’ Associations adviser Tan So Tiok said it proposed that the government give out cash of about RM100 as a subsidy to farmers for each tonne of vegetables they produce.

       “This will help cushion the impact of the huge increase in the cost of fertilisers, which has now risen from RM120 to over RM200.

       “The government carried out a similar exercise in 2009 when it gave RM81 in cash payment for each tonne produced,” he said in an interview.

       The federation has about 6,000 members nationwide. With the increase in operational costs, many farmers, added Tan, would no longer be able to sustain their business and might cease operations.

       He said the problem was compounded by the labour shortage, with many farm hands “pinched” by the construction and plantations sectors for higher pay.

       “The Human Resource Ministry’s Manpower Department should be considerate and not impose strict rules when it comes to approving foreign workers for farms.

       “Many of our farmers are in the rural areas without proper electricity and running water.

       “We don’t condone members who do not provide proper facilities for their workers, but we hope that the government could be a bit more lenient and look into the plight of farmers,” he said.

       Tan said a letter determining the number of foreign workers needed at the farms would only be issued by the department once it had inspected farms or hostels.

       “Only then will we go and pay for the permits and levies for the workers. Since the country’s borders reopened on April 1, the process has been slow and almost all the farms are having a problem with workers, including my own,” he said.

       Agreeing with Tan, 28-year-old farmer Naviin Thiagarajan said it would be good for the government to provide a subsidy to help farmers with the increase in costs.

       “Our problem is also with hiring workers. To me, the root problem is that we have too many illegals here spoiling the market,” he said, adding that he used to have four foreign workers on his 1.61ha farm in Kota Tinggi.

       He claimed that workers brought in legally would often be influenced by illegals to run off within six months for “higher salaries”, adding that this then posed a huge problem for farmers who had forked out money for permits and levies.

       “Now, only my 55-year-old retired dad and I are managing our farm,” he said.

       Naviin, whose farm produces okra, bittergourd, long beans and eggplants, also urged the government to look into the agricultural sector in a holistic way, and if possible, set a ceiling price for vegetables to stop cartels or middlemen from making huge profits at the expense of farmers.

       Citing an example, he said he would sell okra at around RM4 to wholesalers.

       “By the time they change hands, consumers are paying up to RM11 per kilo at the shops. It’s unfair to customers to pay such exorbitant prices for vegetables,” he said, adding that the government should find ways to get produce directly from the farmers to consumers.