Can Dr M help solve Malaysia’s food security problems?

Last week, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad visited a number of farms in Klang, Kajang and Banting, and urged farmers to plant cash crops to help sustain themselves during the time when the price of palm oil or rubber falls.

Aware that declining palm oil prices have caused financial problems for Felda settlers, Mahathir advised them to adopt mixed farming methods and said, “Do not only rely on one kind (of crop) as when the price falls, we will face problems.

“There are many kinds of cash crops, like cucumbers, chillies and tomatoes. If we rotate them according to the market, our income stream would not be cut off simply due to the price decline for one type of crop.”

Perhaps Mahathir is unaware; agricultural activists and those who oppose the indiscriminate destruction of rainforests have been sending out the same message for years. Monoculture is not good for the environment, for communities, or for the flora and fauna which thrive in certain habitats.

Illegal deforestation, with or without the collusion of the government, is destructive. It disturbs the fragile ecosystem which allows only some species to thrive.

Conflict with communities, like the violation of ancestral land rights, will arise because big businesses raze forests to make way for one crop — oil palm.

When only oil palm is grown, other species are threatened with extinction (if they are not already extinct) because their habitats are not preserved.

Local tribes cannot live because they are dependent on the rainforests for food. Animals live on certain plants and when these are no longer there, they will migrate. This will disturb the ecosystem of the new place of migration. This takes away the source of protein for the local tribes.

The indigenous people forage in the rainforests for food and medicine. If the plants are not available, how can they live? It is easy for big companies to tell them to weave rattan baskets for a living, but with thousands of acres under oil palm, they will have to search farther afield for the rattan.

The roots and leaves of the rainforests hold the soil together. When the rainforests are destroyed and replaced with monoculture, rivers silt up and sometimes suffer from the chemicals used in the oil palm industry. Fish die in polluted waters and a source of protein for the indigenous people is gone.

Mahathir may not realise that many Chinese farmers, who are more in tune with the land they till, understand the value of crop rotation. Last century, many Malay farmers were seduced by the promises of big money from commercial crops like rubber and oil palm.

In the past, the villagers’ home gardens provided high-quality, chemical-free and locally-produced food, which were sought after by restaurateurs and grocers. The home herb garden and the vegetable patch could generate a satisfying side income.

Farming on the terraced slopes of Cameron Highlands.

In the mid-20th century, many Malay farmers cut down their orchards and got rid of their vegetable patches, and replaced them with rubber and, later, oil palm. They then became heavily reliant on oil palm.

If only we had more learned ministers and politicians with plans to increase Malaysia’s self-sufficiency in food.

The nation relies heavily on food imports. We do not have food security and we do not produce enough to feed ourselves.

If war were to break out, or if we were to suffer drought or prolonged periods of rain, which would kill our crops, the nation would face famine. We would not be able to feed the nation.

The agricultural minister and the prime minister should encourage more young adults to venture into farming.

An acquaintance, who is an agricultural consultant, said: “Statistics from the agriculture ministry (MoA) from 2004 show that 10 years ago, 70% of farmers were over the age of 45 and 45% over the age of 55.

“Today, it is worse. Our rural youth are migrating to the cities, and they are not returning to farm the land.

“During the 1970s and 1980s, experts were concerned about the nation’s food production. The MoA talks about the palm oil industry as agriculture. They ignore what the experts and seasoned farmers have been telling them for decades.”

Having advised many big corporations and governments, he said: “There is an incredible amount of corruption, in agriculture and aquaculture, in Malaysia.

“Our leaders would probably prefer to import foreign labour for our farms, but this is causing the total breakdown of our social structure. The government has created no incentives to encourage Malaysians to farm the land.

“We must show our youth that agriculture and aquaculture can make money, but we need to show rural Malaysians that they need not abandon the villages. They just need help and guidance.”

So, can Mahathir really help solve our food security problems? - FMT