potential in organic farming is high because people are more health and
safety conscious these days,” revealed Encik Jaul Samion, Permanent
Secretary to the Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture, Sarawak. Today’s
discerning consumers are rather concerned about agriculture practices
and the wide spread use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides that
could compromise the quality and safety of food produced. In
organic farming or organic agriculture, farmers are not allowed to use
synthetic pesticides or fertilizers on their crops or livestock.
As
this method of farming is still at an infancy stage in Malaysia and an
embryonic stage in Sarawak, it is a promising and lucrative venture to
consider for farmers interested to get a head start on the next big
thing in organic agriculture. Surveys have
indicated that approximately 2% of the food supply in the United States
is grown using organic methods, and sales of organic products has shown
an annual increase of at least 20% in the last decade.
According
to the Organic Consumer Trends 2001, retail sales of organic food were
projected to be valued at US$9.3 billion or more.
To
further encourage farmers to go into organic agriculture, the Malaysian
government has introduced an incentive scheme under the Ninth Malaysian
Plan (9MP) for the period 2006 to 2010. This
incentive scheme involves providing assistance to eligible farmers in
their setup of composting areas by the Department of Agriculture (DOA). Farmers
could also apply for the Malaysian Organic Scheme (MOS), which provides
certification of organic produce and products, and participate in talks
organized by DOA on the benefits of organic products.
At present, there are 22 organic farms covering an area of 464 hectares in Malaysia. Mostly located in Peninsular Malaysia, these organic farms are mainly concentrated in vegetables and fruit farming. Currently,
there are no statistics available in Sarawak on existing organic
farming ventures, although a small number of farmers in the state have
attempted to venture into this line of organic agriculture management.
rsnews-03.06
