By Martin Yee
KUCHING: Local cash crop and orchard farmers should use organic based fertilisers to reduce the cost of production to give them the edge over rising food production in Sarawak.
According to local businessman and agriculture scientist Yong Hua Ying, they should cut down their use of imported chemical compound fertilisers and instead use the cheaper and more environmental friendly alternative which can be locally produced.
“It is high time our policy makers make a careful study of this organic based product and hope they can encourage our farmers to use it.
“More advanced agriculture countries like China, Japan, Taiwan and even some European countries are using this method,” he said, adding that they should take the steps taken by many countries.
Besides cutting down the costs, he said the chemical enhanced organic fertilisers also added value to the products such as the vegetables or fruits in term of higher yield and better taste.
The locally produced organic based fertilisers are made by blending with the imported raw materials such as ammonium nitrate, urea, rock phosphate, potassium with local plant organic base like coco husks, rice husks and soybean dregs.
He added a lot of companies have stopped using straight fertilisers with chemical advanced fertilisers and replace them with the organic based fertilisers.
“This new method, which is not exactly new as it has been around for 30 years, can cut cost by 35 per cent and the government should support it,” he said.
Yong, who had studied this method many years back when he was with the university, had also come across a foreign company in Japan manufacturing such organic base fertilisers.
The agriculture scientist suggested that the government should try this step which can help bring down the escalation of costs due to the rising inflation and the increase in prices of essential food commodities.
“We should second thought about using more modern method of agriculture practices than the traditional method by changing our use of chemical product to environmental friendly and cheaper local product.
“One can buy the raw materials like urea, nitrate, phosphorous but no need to buy the finished product which are more costly.
“By using this method it cuts down cost considerably for in Sarawak in the plantation sector, the total cost of fertilisers used is estimated at 2.2 to 2.5 million tonnes.
“For this method can cut cost by 35 per cent and the government should all support these.
“It also adds value to the products besides saving cost as it is environmentally friendly, improves the food quality, prolongs storage life of the fruits and vegetables produced.
“Using organic fertiliser also improves soil physical and their chemical properties, reduces fertilisers leaching etc.
“It’s high time we make a careful study of this organic based product and hope the policy makers can encourage our farmers to use this organic based product.
“By using these fertilisers, it improves the fruits quality and vegetables and besides there are a lot of advantages.
“In fact we can produce a wide range of fertiliser products tailored made to suit different growth stages and different crops of fertilisers for vegetables and orchard fruits.
“Sarawak farmers can save cost by stop using imported chemical compound fertilisers and instead replace them with clean advanced fertiliser using plant organic base.
“These can slow down the escalation cost which includes transportation, spending on energy resulting in price increase.
“We need a company to go into production to speed up the process,”
Yong said, adding that he also learnt the method in Taiwan where a Taiwanese company All Cosmos Industry Sdn Bhd based in Taipei is very advanced in producing this type of organic fertiliser.
He said that the private companies are pushing for this total overhaul of using the cheaper and better fertilisers by taking lead to transform and evolve from the traditional farming method to more environmental friendly approach.
“In fact the private companies are pushing for this thing and suggested the government should all support this proposal which will encourage our population to use local materials which will bring benefits to the State,” he added.
