Representatives from the Federal Agricultural Market Authority (FAMA) and other agricultural departments have been touring the UK on a fact-finding mission, which included a tour of New Spitalfields market, a visit to the Royal Show and a field trip to a farm dedicated to supplying Tesco.
The UK-tour was organised by FAMA with assistance from the Malaysian High Commission in London, and has given the visitors the opportunity to view the latest agricultural technology on offer in the UK, as well as learn about UK quality assurance practices and local market price mechanics. Culverwell ran through the market's history, the role of the tenants' association, the market design, operations and management setup for the overseas visitors. In addition, Defra horticultural inspector Amos Alade outlined the quality assurance programmes in place at the market as well as the requirements that all fresh produce sellers, from the multiples to the local grocer, must comply with. "The system operates on voluntary compliance between traders and Defra," explained Alade. "We use a risk assessment system and give traders a risk profile - those with lower risk profiles will be assessed (at random) less often."
Director general of FAMA Haron A. Rahim said: "FAMA promote Malaysian fresh produce and have already established supply contracts for sharonfruit in the UK. We would like to build our network and create a bigger push to export Malaysian agricultural produce to the UK, our second largest export market." FAMA are aiming to modernise Malaysian distribution centres and wholesale market facilities, with a focus on improvements to quality, packaging and controls. Rahim continued: "This visit has enabled us to touch base with local suppliers, retailers and wholesale markets - we have been impressed with what we have seen."
Deputy director general of agriculture Khamsiah bt Hj Muhammad added: "Currently over 100 farms meet the national quality standard certifications which is based on EurepGAP. We aim to help suppliers market their commodities outside Malaysia.” Recently an online trading portal, Agribazaar, was officially launched after being trialed for the past two years. The virtual market allows Malaysian suppliers to promote their produce outside Malaysia, and there are already 1800 registered users. The portal, partly financed by the government, enables producers to input information on the product, quantity, and availability.
