Najib urges farmers, breeders, fishermen to 'think global'

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak urged local farmers, breeders and fishermen to 'think global' in their marketing strategy.

He said they should for instance, take advantage of technology to market their products internationally.

"We must be global players, competing with developed countries; only then can we succeed and earn respect on the world stage.

"We cannot be satisfied with merely selling our agricultural products on the fringes as we have been doing all this while," he said.

Citing water melon farmers who would simply market their fruits by the roadside in their area, he said when the supply exceeded demand, the price might drop to a level that would fail to provide an economic return to the former.

Najib said this while launching the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA)'s 50th anniversary celebrations at Dataran Merdeka here Saturday.

In attendance were the PM's wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek and Dewan Negara president Tan Sri Abu Zahar Ujang.

Also present were Agriculture and agro-based Industries Deputy Ministers Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman and Nogeh Gumbek, and FAMA chairman Tan Sri Badruddin Amiruldin.

Najib said the government on its part had been taking various approaches to move the country's agricultural entrepreneurs closer towards the global stage.

He named the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) as among the strategies.

To this end, the government's initiatives could also be seen through the opening of agro bazaars in China and Singapore, as well as food exports such as to Lulu Hypermarket in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), he said.

Meanwhile, Najib said he was touched by FAMA's gesture to invite him to launch the celebration particularly as 50 years ago, his father and Malaysia's second prime minister, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein had launched FAMA on Sept 30, 1955.

Touching on FAMA's history, he said the agency was established to improve the livelihood of farmers, breeders and fishermen who were at the time faced with an income which did not match their labour.

He said paddy farmers, for instance in Kedah obtained their basic necessities on credit and would pay for the items by selling their produce.

"If this system had continued to this day, the second and third generation of farmers would not have been able to improve their livelihood.

"FAMA had been instrumental in boosting the price of paddy from RM12.50 to RM25 a pikul then," he said.

Najib said FAMA's effectiveness could be gauged from the rising income of present farmers, breeders and farmers.

The agency, he said, had also succeeded in rejuvenating itself as seen from the participation of 20,000 Bumiputera graduates in the Agriculture Graduate Entrepreneurs Club (MyAgrosis).

Najib also launched three new programmes - Online Agro Bazaar, 1Malaysia Coffee Franchise, and Microcredit, during the event.

He further launched a 'new' durian fruit, the "Durian Musang Queen" which is from the Tekka species and the second highly rated durian in the country after the 'Durian Musang King'.

The premier also announced an allocation of RM220 million for the construction of the new FAMA headquarters in Kelana Jaya.

Noting FAMA's endeavour to mark the celebration with various activities including a food fest, Najib also declared that FAMA would hold an annual Food Fest, a week before the UMNO General Assembly.