CAMERON Highlands vegetable farmers have called on federal government to help solve their land issues with the Pahang government.

In a memorandum submitted to Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Chan Foong Hin and senator Hatta Ramli, they said the decision by the state government to increase rent by 500% had impacted them deeply.

They said the state government had revoked the temporary occupation licence (TOL) scheme in 2020 and replaced it with a rental agreement.

The farmers said their TOL fees to the state government were about RM800 per acre annually but with the new rental scheme, the same payment has jumped to about RM4,500.

“It is a 500% increase and it burdens the farmers,” Tanah Rata assemblyman Ho Chi Yang said in a statement.

Yesterday, he and a group of farmers delivered more than 100 boxes of vegetables to parliament to highlight their plight.

Ho also said the rental period of “3+2” years was too short, thus discouraging farmers from investing time and money to upgrade their cultivation methods.

He added that, in the long run, this rental arrangement impinges on the quality of the country’s crops.

“It would also derail the government’s plans to improve food security and self-sufficiency,” he said.

Ho called on the federal and state governments to ensure land tenure security and reduce the negative impact brought by the increase in agricultural costs.

He also said the government must also address other issues affecting vegetable farmers across the nation, including the unstable crop prices, and the high cost of fertilisers and pesticides.

Meanwhile, farmer Go Mong Nging said he and his contemporaries were also affected by the unpredictable weather patterns.

He said during the rainy season, output decreases and prices increase, but many farmers are unable to harvest enough crops.

“When the weather improves, output increases and prices decrease. This means many smallholders are unable to reach the break-even level and may incur losses,” Go, the Bandar Baru Brinchang DAP chairman, said.

He added that the government can help by reducing costs for items such as fertilisers and seeds, which reduces risk and encourages farmers to stay in business. – April 7, 2023.