PUTRAJAYA JAN.19: The agricultural commodity sector has provided job opportunities to the people and more importantly it has reduced the number of poor families and the rate of poverty among the farmers and small holders in this sector has also dropped significantly.
Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said, the rate of the national poverty in 1970 was 49.3 per cent and it dropped to 5.6 per cent in 2019 and this reduction was part of the contribution of this sector.
Ismail said, at the same time it is the results of the continuous efforts of the government to ensure the whole Malaysian Family could lead their lives comfortably.
“In the efforts to develop the economy, Malaysia cannot escape from encountering various challenges especially the sanction that has been implemented by certain parties specifically the western media on the national agricultural commodity products such as palm oil and rubber that are related to forced labour.
“For the sake of Malaysian Family, the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities and the agencies with the support of the industry players have to stand firm to defend the national products so that it could be accepted by the whole world and lift its status,” Ismail said in his speech in conjunction with the Launching of Malaysian Family Explore Agricultural Commodity programme here this evening.
The Prime Minister added, he believes the programme is able to be the best medium to disseminate information effectively towards improving the delivery system in the effort to develop and empower the agricultural commodity sector.
“Congratulations to the Minister, Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin and the Ministry for the initiative to implement this programme,” Ismail said.
Ismail also commented that even though the country is challenged by COVID-19 pandemic but the agricultural commodity exports value in 2020 remains strong at RM151.3billion with an increase of 17.8 per cent compared to RM128.5 billion in 2019.
In 2021, Ismail added, the total export of agricultural commodity products continue to increase even though still in the pandemic period. Until November 2021, the estimated export income was RM189.8 billion, an increase of 41.6 per cent compared to the same period in 2020.
According to Ismail, the total of export products related to palm oil to India had recorded an increase from RM8.5 billion in 2020 to RM17.8 billion in 2021.
The export of wood and its products to India have also increased from RM781 million to RM839 million in the same period that is an increase of 7.5 per cent.
The Prime Minister stressed that Malaysia has emerged as the largest producer of rubber hand gloves in the world when it controls 65 per cent of the product market. _ Malaysia World News
