Excess harvest turned into compost, says farmer


GEORGE TOWN: Farmer BH Wong slashed his sweet potato plants recently when he sensed that demand would drop.

He switched to a longer growing crop.

“Nothing goes to waste. When nobody wants what I am growing, I turn them into compost and use it to enrich my soil,” he said.

As a lowland farmer in Bagan Serai, Perak, he alternates between sweet potatoes, various gourds, and occasionally, sweet corn.

Wong said as a farmer, he planted according to the season and it was not always possible for him to strategise in view of market demands.

“When the weather turns dry like now, it is a good time for planting. We can irrigate with water from the streams, ponds or from underground.

“Bad weather for us is when there is a lot of rain. Then the fertiliser we put is washed away and we have to deal with many pests, which love the wetness,” he said.

He said the practice of farmers turning their unwanted produce into compost when demand was low has been going on for many years.

Penang welfare committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said he went to Blue Valley in Cameron Highlands to visit vegetable farms after being told of excess harvest being dumped because of a lack of demand.

He wanted to explore prospects of excess agricultural produce being channelled to the poor through Mutiara Food Bank, a state-backed operation that sends food rations to the B40 community.

“But nothing is as easy as it looks.

“The logistics and handling of perishable goods are costly in their own right, so even though the unwanted produce can be free out of the farms, the cost of bringing them to Mutiara Food Bank for distribution to the poor is too high,” he said.

Nonetheless, Phee said that marketeers and wholesalers should work more closely with the farmers and tell them to expect lower demand.

“During festive seasons, when fewer market stalls open for business, farmers should be given advice.

“They can spend a season planting less and focusing on enriching the soil in their vegetable plots, rejuvenating the microbial and nutrient content.

“There is no need for them to keep producing when it is known that demand is going to drop,” he said.

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