TAMBUNAN: State Farmers Organisation Authority (FOA) director Anita Haji Misuari advised the farmers in the state to schedule the cultivation of their crops to avoid becoming victims of the drought which is expected to last for six months this year.
She said this was also to prevent losses if their crops were destroyed during the prolonged dry season.
“Farmers can contact the relevant committee in their area to get the right advice to avoid the adverse effects of the hot weather,” she said when opening the annual general meeting of Tambunan Area Farmer Organization (AFO) here.
The United Kingdom Meteorological Office has forecast that the El Nino weather phenomenon would cause rising temperatures and a dry spell in the Southeast Asian region in the middle of this year.
However, local weather experts could not determine yet that Malaysia would also be affected by El Nino this time but if it does happen, Malaysia may face prolonged drought for up to six months.
Anita pointed out that the state FOA is committed in helping the farming community in the state to get good prices by eliminating the use of middlemen to market their produce.
She disclosed that the organization is one of the agencies under the Agriculture Ministry which is directly involved in promoting the agriculture sector in the country.
In this regard, she said FOA would work with the local authorities and relevant government agencies to establish farmers’ markets and collection centres for agricultural products under AFO.
She said the farmers’ markets and collection centres would make it easier for farmers to market their produce directly to consumers without having to go through the middlemen and they would also get a better price.
In the meantime, Anita urged the farmers to market their produce at weekly markets such as farmers’ markets managed by the Federal Agriculture and Marketing Authority (FAMA).
“We hope that the incomes of farmers, breeders and fishermen could be improved,” she added.
Also present at the ceremony were State Farmer Organization chairman Datuk Mohd Nazri Abdullah, assistant district officer Sallahuddin Tahir, Tambunan community development leader Silverius Bruno and Tambunan AFO chairman Dr Juanis Yajuni.