PETALING JAYA: It’s only the beginning of February, but florists here have already started taking orders for Valentine’s Day, which falls on the fifth day of Chinese New Year this month.
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KUALA LUMPUR: There is an urgent need for the agro-food sub-sector to engage and participate in the adoption of technological upgrades and modern farm.
Vegetables and livestock: So Tiok (left) and Chee Hee.
PETALING JAYA: The longer than usual rainy spell has caused the price of vegetables to soar, in some cases by over 100%, it was revealed.
Federation of Malaysian Vegetable Farmers Association adviser Tan So Tiok said the wet weather started about a month earlier than usual.
He said the problem was further compounded by the lack of farmhands due to the closed border.
“Many of our foreign workers returned to their countries in February and haven’t been able to come back since.
“With no farmhands and more rain, farmers have no choice but to slash production, ” he said, adding that prices of both local and imported vegetables have gone up by 30% to over 100% since two months ago.
Green fields: Besides the rainy weather, a shortage of farmhands due to the pandemic makes matters worse for producers and consumers.
IPOH: The prolonged rainy spell has severely impacted the production of vegetables at Cameron Highlands, causing prices of produce to go up.
Cameron Highlands Vegetable Growers Association secretary Chay Ee Mong said production has dropped by about 30% due to constant rainfall.
He said the weather had been extraordinary this year, citing frequent rainfall since April.
“Even if it isn’t raining, the skies are overcast. A lot of crops, including fruits, are affected as there isn’t enough sunlight for the photosynthesis process, which affects flowering and production.