In yesterday’s Dewan Rakyat session (November 11), Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu took the opportunity to share his curiosity about why Bumiputera Malays are not thriving in Malaysia’s durian business industry.
He asked, “What surprises me is that Bumiputera Malays have been planting durians from generation to generation. But, when it comes to exporting (durians) abroad, those who become millionaires are the Chinese. Where have the Bumiputera people been left behind in the durian business?”
Mat Sabu said that he takes this matter seriously and further questioned whether it is because the Bumiputera community lacks land and space for large-scale durian plantations.
“If we look at it, non-Malay chief ministers, there is only 1 in Penang. The rest are all Bumiputera Malays. Why have we failed in providing land to plant durians to a point where, even in Kelantan, most of the durian millionaires there are Chinese.”
Before diving into this issue, Mat Sabu spoke about plans to expand the plantation of local produce such as pineapples and onions, for local consumption as well as to export overseas.
The Minister went on to explain that his intention is not to be racist, but he merely wants to understand why this is happening.
“We see that Bumiputera Malays are failing in this, we are sticking to small farmers who only produce durian to (sell) at Chow Kit and the markets in the village,” he added.
You can check out the Dewan Rakyat session here:
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