Anwar calls on plantations firms to grow fruits, vegetables for local consumption

 

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he had instructed companies such as Sime Darby Bhd, FGV Holdings Bhd and Kumpulan Guthrie Bhd to carry it out.

BUKIT MERTAJAM: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called on local plantation companies with large land reserves to plant vegetables and fruits to cover the country's growing food needs.

Anwar said he had instructed companies such as Sime Darby Bhd, FGV Holdings Bhd and Kumpulan Guthrie Bhd to carry it out.

"This is a medium-term measure that we can take to deal with the rising cost of living. Malaysia is fertile. Why aren't there enough vegetables and fruits? It's a matter of supply and demand.

"We ask these big companies to plant vegetables and fruits. The prices of chillies and onions are now sky high because they are all imported," he said during a dialogue session with staff of Dell Technologies here today.

He added that these big companies also had the expertise and resources to grow essential food crops.

Anwar also said to deal with the high cost of living, the government would continue to subsidise essential food items and expand the Rahmah initiative nationwide as a short-term solution.

Regarding the government's plans to stabilise the ringgit's value against foreign currencies, especially the greenback, Anwar said the issue was very complex because it was related to the effects of economic actions taken by the United States that were beyond Malaysia's control.

Therefore, Anwar said it was essential to raise the confidence of foreign investors in Malaysia by maintaining political stability under the leadership of the Unity Government.

"Right now, the ringgit is strengthening slightly due to the influx of foreign investments such as from Tesla, Bosch, Geely and Saudi Aramco, so don't underestimate the need for a stable government with a clear economic policy.

"We cannot just surrender our fate to the United States Federal Reserve because their decisions on interest rates will have ripple effects throughout the world, but we can contain the extent by ensuring that the government is stable via its economic policies," he said.– BERNAMA