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The Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) Malaysia was established on 30 September 1965 by an Act of Parliament. Three years after FAMA’s establishment it embarked on a campaign the ‘Eat More Local Fruits Campaign’ which has been the mainstay of FAMA’s activity until today and a success story since it’s launch in 1968. This campaign was launched at the 38th.MAHA Show on 3 October 1968 by the Minister of Agriculture and Co-operatives Haji Mohamed Ghazali bin Hj. Jawi.
Fruits were a significant feature in MAHA exhibitions in the 1960s, with the Prime Minister YTM Tengku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj taking keen interest in locally grown oranges at the 1961 MAHA Exhibition in Kuala Lumpur. In June 1963, Agriculture Minister Mohd. Khir Johari had said that 1964 would be the year to grow more fruits, in an effort to manage the food import bill of about $15 million Malaysian Dollars each year. In 1958 it was reported that a Malay farmer had successfully grown mandarin oranges on a four-acre orange grove in Ajil ,Terengganu. The Department of Agriculture had great faith in the viability of growing the Terengganu oranges and had purchased 800 plants and sold them for 150 Malaysian Dollars - a substantial sum at that time. Since then Terengganu had always been the trend setter for growing oranges in the country. The Honey Oranges grown at the Terengganu Citrus Valley at Durian Mentangau at later years were well received all over the country.
The campaign launched by FAMA in 1968 was initially focused on institutions especially hotels, food service outlets and food caterers. These entities at that period of time for multiple reasons and constraints did not serve local fruits for the clientele preferring the imported fruits instead. Their reluctance to serve local fruits then was also due to the nature of the fruits itself which had short shelf life and of non commercial varieties. The supply chain issues too were not adequately addressed at that time. In 1969 Durian Muhibbah Parties were organized throughout the country to spread the word of goodwill and the coming together of different communities in mutual harmony. Today Parliament Durian Party is held yearly at the Parliament House for the purpose of bonding the Members of Parliament together in the spirit of mutual understanding and harmony.
FAMA is today targeting the campaign to the industry, educators, health professionals, schools and the general public . In MAHA 2010, FAMA had commissioned a renowned author of two award winning books Puan Mohana Gill to produce a book for children introducing fruits especially local fruits to them at an early age. The book was distributed at the MAHA Exhibition and also distributed nationwide into primary and secondary schools as part of the government’s initiative to promote good eating habits among children. She was the recipient of the Gourmand Special Jury Award in 2007 for the books,’ Fruitastic’ and ‘Vegemania’. The whole objective of the ‘Eat More Local Fruits Campaign ‘ is to help increase per capita consumption of fruits in the country which presently is about 48.5 kg. Comparatively in Europe, USA and Japan the per capita consumption is over 150 kg. FAMA organizes fresh fruit fiestas in all MAHA Shows where sales averages over RM 1 million at each show. Due to the tremendous response in the MAHA Shows for local fruits major hypermarkets have started joint promotions with FAMA to boost the sales in their premises.
Fruits from all over the country are brought to the MAHA Exhibitions. In the earlier days it was oranges and solo papayas which attracted attention. Over the years different varieties of fruits were constantly introduced and sold at the shows. Among them were Square Watermelons from Selangor; Malay Apples (Jambu Air) a special variety from Temiang Renchong, Muar, Johore; Red Guavas from Batu Pahat, Johore; Pomelo Tenom and Red Durians from Sabah; Dabai and Kepayang from Sarawak; Malacca Delight (Chok Anan Mangoes) from Malacca; Lowland Grapes from Kedah and Perlis, Cavendish Bananas from Penang; Perlis Sunshine Mangoes (Salah Mangoes) and Harumanis from Perlis; Local Black Berries (buah keriang) from Kedah; Ovate shaped Mangosteen Mesta from Pahang; Tambun Pomeloes and Seedless Guavas from Perak; Purple Grapes from Camerons; King Sized Mangoes from Selangor; Red Dragon Fruits ( also called Mata Naga); Pulasan and Honey Jackfruit from Johore; Sweet Duku Tanjung Gading and Rambai from Johore; Duku Dewan from Kelantan; Duku Langsat from Terengganu; Balik Pulau Durians from Penang;. The other local fruits sold in all the MAHA shows were dependent on the seasonal availability. Local Fruits were always the major draw in all MAHA Shows.
From the offshoot of the MAHA shows local fruits have become big business propositions. Consumers in the towns and cities were looking for local fruits and it became profitable business ventures for enterprising farmers and entrepreneurs. To make local fruits easily available, FAMA has set up over 1000 fruit kiosks at strategic locations and Pasar Tani outlets all over the country to enable fruit growers and vendors sell their produce direct to consumers. The sales in these fruit kiosks and Pasar Tani averaged over RM200 million annually.
Visiting foreign dignitaries are often impressed with the wide variety of local fruits served at Royal State Banquets in honour of the state visits to the country. Local fruits are also demanded by Malaysia High Commissions and Embassies overseas especially for Merdeka day celebrations in the respective countries. This too had helped promote our local fruits overseas by way of creating interest among the businessmen to import the fruits. Durian is one such fruit which became a instant hit in China and imports into China have grown by leaps and bounds over the years. Previously carambola (starfruit) had held much promise in oversea markets but Durian has now far outshone every other fruits in terms of export volume and value.
Supply of local fruits has always being inconsistent since they are not grown on a big scale except for durians. Durians today may be the only local fruit grown on a large scale unlike the other local fruits which are largely grown by smallholders on small plots of land. The varieties too are different from state to state which hampers the commercial viability of the fruits especially for exports. During the early days local fruits were grown for subsistence and not for commercial purposes. Every state had their own variety mostly not suitable for sales in distant places. The fruits could not be sold away from the confines of the farmers’ villages.
The days of subsistence agriculture will slowly fade away in Malaysia. It is being replaced by a vibrant modern agriculture embracing the latest technology and innovations towards ensuring food security, achieving food self-sufficiency in the essential food items and commercial viability in the sector.
Reference Materials from:
- The National Archives of Malaysia , Kuala Lumpur;
- The Straits Times Archives Singapore;
- Resource Centre, New Straits Times Press (NSTP) Kuala Lumpur;
- Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority FAMA)
- Jabatan Penerangan Putra Jaya;
- Bernama
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