by Chee Jo-Ey
DURING the first phase of the Movement Control Order (MCO), a list of essential goods and services was issued to indicate what services would be open during the period of lockdown but there was still a lack of clarity for many people.
For example, while it was stated that food supply stores were allowed to open, does that extend to include farms where fresh produce originate from? Or what about supporting businesses involved in packaging and so forth?
It was reported that the MCO may have led to food wastage as supply chains were affected during the lockdown period and farmers were finding it difficult to sell their produce.
Although food supply stores were given the green light to operate fully to ensure that there is adequate supply for the public, it is important to make sure that fresh food producers are able to continue operating in a smooth manner as well as they are the source of food on some of those shelves.
Centre for Environment, Technology and Development, Malaysia (CETDEM) chairman Gurmit Singh said, “I can say that the supply for organic produce is definitely not what it used to be with less variety. There was a delay by the government in terms of making it clear to farmers whether they were allowed to operate fully or not. They should have anticipated these issues before announcing the restriction.
“There were problems with the logistics, transporting vegetables to suppliers, resulting in vegetables being discarded during the first few days of the implementation of MCO, which is such a big waste. Some farmers even had to resort to directly approach customers on the internet.”
CETDEM is a non-profit environmental organisation that provides a platform for organic smallholder farmers to sell their produce.
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) swooped in and collected extra produce that could not reach consumers and passed them to the needy.
“Even though the issues are now more or less settled, organic producers especially still face challenges as most distributors are closed other than those that are more prominent. Some distributors are still unsure if they can open and they don’t want to get into trouble, especially now as the government has tightened the rules for MCO.
“A lot of business owners are also not sure if they can shoulder the responsibility of being liable if their workers are exposed to the virus while being on the job,” adds Gurmit.
According to the Federation of Livestock Farmers’ Associations of Malaysia (FLFAM) president Terry Tan, chicken and eggs supply should not be a problem as they are classified as essential goods. “From the first day of MCO, we have been working wIth the government to sort out issues and things are going smoothly based on my stockpile calculation.
“Our supporting businesses like raw materials such as corn and soya bean milk for the feeding of chickens are still running smoothly. The current existing stock of raw materials can sustain us for 1.5 months. The livestock farms’ workers are still working round the clock so there’s no need for panic buying as daily production is as per usual,” explains Tan.
Tan admits that initially, transportation was an issue due to the police road blocks but the problem has been solved.
“The Ministry of Agriculture had issued letters to allow essential goods businesses to be cleared at roadblocks. As long as you have the letters to prove that you are a licensed farm, you should be fine.
“The government should make sure to continue supporting our partner industries like those involved in packaging, feed mills to operate as well so that we can continue to produce like usual,” says Tan. – April 15, 2020
