PPPKBS PLANS TO SET UP CENTRALIZED MARKET FOR FARMERS

PPPKBS plans to set up centralized market for farmers

SINGAPORE 13th June, 2012: The Persatuan Penjaja dan Peniaga Kecil Bumiputera Sabah (PPPKBS) is planning to set up a wholesale fruit and vegetable market to serve as a centralized trading centre for farmers in Sabah.

PPPKBS president Yazid Sahjinan, said the proposal was among the initial idea they are planning to do after visiting the land-scarce republic which uses high technology farming to produce essential fresh farm crops to meet domestic demand.

“We don’t have a modern farming technology yet and I think we still have a long way to catch up and learn from them even though we have plenty of land but not fully utilized,” admitted Yazid, who organised the study tour to visit several of the agro-based farms in the republic state last month.

RISING FOOD PRICES BECAUSE OF MISPLACED PRIORITIES?

Misplaced priorities and rising food prices

Sarawak has vast tracts of land which are ironically being turned into oil palm plantations even as the state becomes heavily dependent on food imports.

KUCHING Dec 26, 2011:  Malaysia’s cost of living has risen steeply. Most basic food like rice, flour, cooking oil, sugar prices has shot up.

In Sarawak, we have land but are totally dependent on the importation of rice (Sarawak imports 70% of its rice consumption). Even fruits are imported from Australia and New Zealand.