ID :
26007
Wed, 10/22/2008 - 15:28
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LEARN FROM THE THAIS, M'SIAN FARMERS TOLD

BY ZAHARI RAZAK

BANGKOK, Oct 22 (Bernama) -- Despite agriculture being one of Malaysia's
key sectors, the country is still far behind the food-production bandwagon in
terms of self-sufficiency.

The presence of the right climate and fertile land is no recipe for success
without the determination to aspire and achieve the concept of 'farming is
business'.

"We can learn from Thailand", that appeared to be the conclusion of
Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Mustapa Mohamed at the end
of his four-day visit to the neighbouring country.

Malaysia has a lot to learn from the Thais on aspects like their resolve
and persistence in developing their country's agriculture sector, he told
Bernama.

Mustapa led a delegation of the ministry's officials and agriculture
entrepreneurs on a visit to Thailand recently, to enhance ties and cooperation
with the country's agriculture authorities and agencies.

LARGE-SCALE FARMING

Mustapa said the Thais applied the large-scale farming concept and this has
propelled the country to the fore in the world agriculture sector.

"What we have learnt from this visit is the fact that the Thais are willing
to hold large-scale farming and this is the key factor that makes them
successful as a leading international (agriculture) producer", he said.

According to Mustapa, if Malaysia were able to emulate Thailand in this
aspect, the former would be able to attain self-sufficiency and no longer be at
the 'mercy' of the globe's agriculture-producer countries.

"Advances in technology are crucial in efforts towards this direction",
Mustapa said during the visit to Kasetsart University, a Thai tertiary education
institution that plays a sterling role in developing the country's agriculture
technology.

He said what Malaysia needs now is to change the farmers' perspective for
them to really appreciate the 'farming is business' concept.

CHOKCHAI DAIRY FARM

The Chokchai Dairy Farm is among the destinations for Mustapa's entourage.
Among the other stops were the Talaad Thai wholesale market and Chitralada Royal
Farming Project.

This dairy farm is among Southeast Asia's most sophisticated privately
owned agro-tourism enterprise.

The Chokchai Dairy Farm sits on some 3,200 hectares of land located 155 km
from here. The farm is opened to the public. It has its own silage area and
breeds cattle for milk and beef.

It has also branched out to other activities like tourism and hospitality
and retail. The Chokchai Dairy Farm is the first Thai facility that exported its
dairy products to Malaysia, Laos and Vietnam.

TALAAD THAI

The Talaad Thai is an integrated wholesale market that operates
round-the-clock.

This market took shape in 1995 and comes under the management of the Thai
Agro Exchange Co. Ltd. The market is the distribution centre for
locally-produced and imported agriculture goods.

Located on some 80 hectares of land, this market could stock up up to
15,000 tonnes of agriculture produce daily and provides spaces for fruits,
vegetables, meats and marine produce apart from dry agriculture goods.

This wholesale market is among the biggest and most up to date of such
facilities in Asia.

CHITRALADA ROYAL PROJECT

The Chitralada agriculture project is unique, as it is believed to be the
world's first project moved by the royal family.

This project took shape with the Chitralada Palace, which is the residence
of King Bhumibol Adulyadej since 1961, as its nucleus.

According to the Thai agriculture authorities, King Bhumibol himself is
personally involved in the initiation of this project due to his concerns on the
country's farming industries.

Hence, this is the world's only palace that is surrounded by paddy fields,
dairy farms, fruit and vegetable orchards as well as aquaculture ponds.

Another unique feature of this project is that it has industries that
utilise the by-products. For instance paddy husk from the rice mills is used as
a combustion material while cooking oil residue is turned into waxes and
candles.

For what that has been achieved by Thailand's agriculture sector, it is not
impossible for Malaysia to follow suit. It needs only commitment and the
perseverance to succeed.

-- BERNAMA

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