Over the past 2 weeks, I received many complaints from Cameron Highlands’ farmers that some of the terms in the agricultural land lease recently announced by the state government are not favourable to farmers. The lease does not guarantee farmers’ rights and is apparently no different from the previous Temporary Operating License (TOL).
Pahang Menteri Besar announced one months ago that the lease of agricultural land will benefit the agriculture sector in Cameron Highlands. However, after studying thoroughly the content of the contract, it appears that once the contract is signed, farmers will be severely restricted whereas the industry would not be able to upgrade and transform as Menteri Besar hoped for.
Since there are a total of 2041 TOLs in Cameron Highlands, it can be foreseen that once the new agricultural land policy is implemented, about 90% of farmers in Cameron Highlands will suffer as a result.
Cameron Highlands is a major producer of vegetables and flowers in our country, yet the newly proposed agricultural land policy has caused wide dissatisfaction and anger among farmers. The state government should immediately listen to the feedback of the industry to ensure that the policy will not bring about a vicious cycle during its implementation.
Apart from being the highest rent for agricultural land in Malaysia which is RM 4,500 per acre annually, many farmers also opine that the contract contains many unfair and unreasonable terms.
Almost all Cameron Highlands farmers who have TOLs have been cultivating locally for more than two generations, and some of them have even farmed for more than 50 years. Each farmer has invested countless hard work, money and time on the land, thus bringing significant contribution to the country’s agriculture sector.
However, the new lease only provides a lease term of 3 + 2 years and explicitly states that farmers are forbidden to pass their farmland to the next generation. Such terms are extremely unfair to farmers who are worried and perplexed about their future.
The contract also prohibits the use of heavy machinery by farmers and mortgaging the agricultural land to banks or financial institutions to apply for loans. This will hinder farmers’ hope to obtain more funds for the purpose of industrial and technological upgrading. Such terms are undoubtedly counterproductive as compared to the visions encapsulated in our national agricultural transformation and modernization policies.
Agriculture sector in the 21st century is facing increasingly insurmountable challenges. Furthermore, at present, the world is also facing the economic and food crisis as a result of the outbreak of coronavirus.
Meanwhile, our country is facing a lot of problems in agriculture, such as outdated agricultural infrastructure, incomplete production systems, low quality and efficiency, as well as the lack of capability to guarantee food security. Therefore, the Pahang state government should enhance its cooperation with industry players in order to promote policy coordination, market integration, investment growth as well as agricultural transformation and upgrading, rather than “rob” the farmers in the midst of their hardship and undermine Malaysia’s food production chain.