Fama’s innovative efforts pay off during pandemic

 

Fama’s initiatives have ensured adequate food supplies during the pandemic.

PETALING JAYA: The Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) has played an important role in the marketing and distribution of agro-food products in the country.

Falling under the purview of the agriculture and food industries ministry, Fama was established under the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority Act 1965 (Act 141) to drive both the domestic and international market sectors while ensuring products were available and obtainable at affordable prices.

This role proved to be even more important when the pandemic hit, and there was uncertainty about food supplies as retail outlets were forced to shut.

Thankfully, Fama had begun taking initiatives and putting in efforts to manage the marketing chain while expanding customer value long before Covid-19 happened.

One example of this was the formation of Agrobazaar Online in 2015, a platform connecting producers, manufacturers and suppliers to customers directly, selling items such as fresh produce, processed food, fisheries, agriculture and more.

The venture paid off for Fama, as the app grew in number of downloads and sales, thus allowing farmers to earn an income during the movement control order (MCO).

Another initiative was the Direct Sales from Farm, an effort by Fama to diversify market outlets for contract farming participants as well as to support programmes implemented throughout Malaysia.

Fama director-general Zainal Abidin Yang Razalli said the direct-from-farm programme generated total sales of RM5.12 million last year, after being held in 416 locations nationwide.

So far this year, the programme has been held in 290 locations with participation from 467 contract farmers, generating sales of RM2.8 million.

Keeping the needs of future generations in mind, the ministry, through Fama, created the Young Agropreneur Programme, aimed at those between 18 and 40 years of age.

Its main objective is to attract young people to enter the field of agriculture, change the perception of young people about the agricultural sector as a viable industry, and increase the income of young agropreneurs through increased productivity, quality, technology and innovation.

Fama’s deputy director of operations, Abdul Rashid Bahri, said the government would help young farmers by providing them with a RM20,000 grant, and other forms of assistance in marketing.

FAMA also plays a role in ensuring that food collected is sustainable, safe and kept at the highest standards possible, ready for distribution.

One such way was by developing Farm Collection Centres to improve the market infrastructure network and to implement post-harvest activities such as grading, packaging and labelling.

For instance, when the durian season began in May, farmers were concerned the MCO would hamper or completely halt sales. Fama stepped in and provided fresh market centres, allowing durians to be sold directly, while also leveraging on e-commerce platforms such as Agrobazaar, Shopee and Lazada Malaysia.

Fama has also taken the initiative to establish a frozen fruit processing centre, with a focus on seasonal fruits, especially durian kampung as a downstream product.

All in all, FAMA recorded RM157.77 million in sales through all its supervised outlets from Sept 1 until Nov 8. These outlets have provided benefits to more than 13,631 entrepreneurs and 2.85 million customers.

It’s clear that Fama has begun unlocking potential and opportunities for the agricultural industry in Malaysia, and will continue to do so with many plans in the pipeline. - FMT