The National Fisherman’s Association (Nekmat) of Malaysia will begin dishing out RM5,000 interest-free loans soon to local associations to boost entrepreneurship among fishermen.
Fisheries Development Board (LKIM) chairman Datuk Irmohizam Ibrahim said the revolving funds would encourage fishermen to sell their catch at farmer’s markets, or pasar tani, nationwide.
“This would remove middlemen from the supply chain, allowing fishermen to enjoy a larger share of the income and consumers to purchase fish at lower prices,” he said after a meeting on combating intermediaries in the fisheries sector at LKIM’s headquarters yesterday.
Irmohizam said consumers would also be able to save between five and 20 per cent on fish by buying them at pasar tani. Currently, fishermen have been making direct sales at over 180 markets.
Present were the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority director general Datuk Ahmad Ishak, LKIM deputy director-general Abdul Rahman Ellis and Nekmat deputy managing director Jamil Rosdi.
Irmohizam said the loan distribution was part of the government’s recent RM20 million disbursement.
He said he had also asked Nekmat to double the stockpile of fish from 50 to 100 metric tonnes at any given time.
Fish species to be stockpiled include cencaru (hardtail scad), kembong (mackerel), tongkol (albacore tuna) and siakap (giant sea perch), among others.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak last month allocated RM8 million to the Federal Agriculture Marketing Authority (Fama) and RM12 million to Nekmat to buy essential commodities directly from farmers.
The move was aimed at stabilising the prices of grocery items that would be sold directly in 517 pasar tani sites and involved some 25,000 traders.
The special allocation to Fama and Nekmat would also be used to stockpile selected commodities.
Should there be a price increase, the two agencies would respond by selling them at reasonable prices in pasar tani sites to stabilise the prices.
2011 The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad