Agriculture Practices in Malaysia (chap 5)

Agricultural Practices in Malaysia

Historical development of Malaysian agriculture

1.       Pre-independence (interest of British colonist)

·         Rubber plantations, tea, cocoa, coffee (commercial agriculture)

·         Malays were involved in the production of rice fruits and other crops (subsistence agriculture)

2.      Post-independence (1957 - 1970)

·      Government set up FELDA  & FELCRA) ·         Huge land to be cultivated with plantation crops ·         Smallholders switched subsistence crops  à cash crops

3.      New economic policy (1970 – 1984)

·         Address income disparity between races

·         1984 – Malaysia was top producers for

o   Natural rubber (39.8%)

o   Palm oil (58.8%)

National agricultural policy

Malaysia's National Agricultural Policy was adopted in 1984 as an attempt to provide guidelines to help unify and direct efforts of all involved in agricultural development. Although the incidence of poverty in rural Malaysia has fallen in recent decades, its persistence among half the paddy households and between 30–40% of most other rural families, despite over 30 years of government efforts at its eradication, is forcing reviews of policies and options.

·         1^ST NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL POLICY (NAP) – 1984 - 1991

·         2^ND NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL POLICY – 1992 – 2010

o   Issues labour and capital competition with other sectors

o   Need to increase efficiency and productivity

§  3^rd NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL POLICY  - 1998 – 2010

o   Introduced product based approach and erasing food security

Agricultural sites in Malaysia
Estates	Small holder

Industrial Crops in Malaysia

• Oil palm
• Rubber
• Rice
• Coconut
• Cocoa
• Coffe
• Sugarcane
• Tea
• Fruits
• Pineapples
• Vegetables

LIVESTOCK

The main difference between ruminants and non-ruminants is that ruminants have stomachs with four chambers that release nutrients from food by fermenting it before digestion. Most ruminants, except llamas and camels, have hardened gums instead of upper front teeth, and all have split hooves.
Ruminant livestock - highly commercialised - contribution: poultry (67%), swine (25%)	Non-ruminant - smallholders and low technology -contribution: 8%

FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE

•   Farming of aquatic organisms including fish, mollusks, crustaceans and aquatic plants.
•   Important supplier of animal protein
•   Important commodity: prawn & seaweed
•  Steady growth since 2000

Several culture practices and systems have already been successfully operated or are being developed in Malaysia. They are:

• Cockle culture on coastal mudflats.
• Freshwater fish culture in ponds, in ex-mining pool, concrete ponds and pen culture in inland wetlands or shallow lakes.
• Freshwater fish culture in floating net-cages.
• Brackish water/marine shrimp culture in brackish water ponds.
• Marine fin-fish culture in floating net-cages.
• Mussel culture using floating raft (off-bottom).
• Oyster culture using floating raft and long lines.
• Ornamental fish culture in ponds, tanks, aquaria and floating.
• Net-cages.
• Seaweed culture using the hanging method.