FARMERS should be prioritised for Covid-19 vaccination so that they can continue their vital work without any fear of exposure to the coronavirus, said a Tanah Rata state assemblyman today.

Chiong Yoke Kong, an elected rep from Cameron Highlands, said this was important in order to prevent any food shortage resulting from Covid-19 outbreaks in farms.

“Given that agriculture is an essential sector that produces food, farmers still have to work as usual when the pandemic rages on, and thus their risk of exposure to Covid-19 is relatively higher.

“Hence, the government should launch vaccination programmes and speed up vaccination for farmers… by incorporating the agricultural sector into the Public-Private Partnership Covid-19 Industry Immunisation Programme (Pikas).

“By taking the initiative, the government can ensure that the agricultural sector can operate without disruption and prevent food shortages that will send shock waves through the consumer market,” he said.

He added that the Agriculture Ministry had promised to raise this issue in cabinet but nothing had been heard of it since then.

He said that Putrajaya must treat manufacturing and agricultural sectors equally instead of treating farmers’ lives as something worthless.

This was in reference to the government’s programme to give priority jabs to those involved in the manufacturing sector through Pikas.

Chiong also said he was disappointed with the government’s approach to handling infections in Cameron Highlands, especially in the ongoing Kailan Tringkap cluster involving farmers and their employees.

To date, the total number of confirmed cases in this cluster is 117 out of a population of less than 2,000.

All employees in farms in Jalan Ulu Tringkap have been undergoing quarantine since June 23.  The government has also imposed a two-week enhanced movement-control order (EMCO) from July 28 at the Tringkap area.

“Nevertheless, due to insufficient manpower and resources, the district health office only completed its first round of screening after five days.

“Such a disappointing inefficiency made it possible for some potential patients to slip through the screening, thus allowing the virus to spread to nearby farms and the community,” said the state rep.

He said the government also failed to exercise the power granted by the emergency ordinances by consolidating manpower and resources from all government departments to assist district health offices in carrying out mass screenings and testing.

The DAP leader also said the government must have a proper quarantine centre for the farmers in Jalan Ulu Tringkap as at present they were all instructed to be quarantined in their respective farms.

“The government is still using all sorts of excuses for the delay in getting a suitable quarantine centre.

“On the other hand, in merely less than three days, a group of patients from Bentong have been arranged to travel to Cameron Highlands for quarantine purposes. How can the local residents ever accept differential treatment?”

“When close to a hundred patients are still quarantined in their farms, it certainly will expose patients to danger. Another foreseeable outcome is that the government will delay the reopening of farms for as long as possible.

“Unfortunately, because all agricultural activities are halted, farmers can only watch in tears as their vegetables gradually wither,” he said. – July 1, 2021.