Kitchen Expenses Saving Scheme To Offer Cheap Fish

By Syarrizuan Abd Rashid SHAH ALAM (Selangor, Malaysia), April 19 (Bernama) -- The Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority's (Fama) will offer 'people's fish' ('ikan rakyat') at discounted prices to the public when the third phase of its 'Program Jimat Belanja Dapur' (kitchen expenses saving programme) is launched this Sunday. Fama Selangor director Mansor Omar said five fish types -- 'pelaling' (Indian mackerel), 'cencaru' (torpedo scad), 'kembung' (mackerel), 'selar' (yellowtail scad) and 'selayang' (scad) -- will be sold at between five to 15 per cent below prevailing market prices for the third phase, to be launched nationwide by Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Noh Omar. The programme's second phase, covering January to April this year, and the first phase, covering last year's festive season, only offered discounted vegetables, fruits and chicken. The third phase will also offer cucumber, long beans, 'sawi' (mustard), 'bendi' (okra) and chili at lower than market prices, he said in an interview at his office here. The scheme, which offers discounts of 20 to 30 per cent for vegetables, five to 15 per cent for fruits and five per cent for chicken, involves 200 farmers' markets ('pasar tani') nationwide, including 46 in Selangor. Mansor said all pasar tani traders are invited to take part in the third phase, which runs until July, with each operator given a grant of RM10,000 including from the Economic Fund Group of the National Venture (Tekun). Under the contract farming scheme, farmers supply the traders fruits and vegetables for direct sale to the public. Mansor added under the kitchen expenses programme, the Selangor Fama offers a RM70,000 (US$22,797.59) subsidy to pasar tani traders, who are exempted stall rentals. --BERNAMA