FRESH FOOD CENTRE – Far Sighted Or White Elephant? Pumpkins by A
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www.ipohecho.com.my FREE COPY IPOH ECHO Wishes All Our Readers a IPOH echoechoYour Voice In The Community NOVEMBER 1-15, 2010 PP 14252/10/2010(025567) 30 SEN FOR DELIVERY TO YOUR DOORSTEP – ISSUE ASK YOUR NEWSVENDOR 108 Happy Deepavali Pg 3 Pg 4 Pg 5 Pg 9 SeeFoon Takes Did The Orang Asli The State Readers Help Invent The of Art in Ipoh on a Foodie Diesel Engine? Perak Heritage In Limbo Feeding Frenzy FRESH FOOD CENTRE – Far Sighted or White Elephant? Pumpkins By A. Jeyaraj and James Gough TEMAN or Terminal Makanan Negara (National Food Terminal) RM110 million National Food Terminal or Terminal A Makanan Negara (TEMAN), which is claimed to be “a state- of-art” fresh food centre similar to those in developed countries, has begun operations at Gopeng. This is the first complex of its kind to be opened in the country and would be fully operational on 1 January 2011. Continued on page 2 Traders’ lots 2 November 1-15 2010 IPOH ECHO Your Voice In The Community First in the Country he centre which was set up by Federal Agricultural Located on a 20 ha site, it comprises an administrative available at the set price. Marketing Authority (FAMA) was planned to be block, central wholesale market, retail market, chicken Ta modern food supply centre linking production, and meat market, fish market, vegetable market, flower Wholesalers Find Flaws distribution and consumption under a single complex. centre, ornamental fish centre, cold-room and cafeteria. Mohamad said that the traders at the wholesale market at Kuala Pari were invited to participate, but only a few were Food Safety Assurance Attracting Right Calibre Traders interested despite assurances that their wholesale business TEMAN’s role is to co-ordinate and supply all agri- FAMA’s Division Director Mohamad Mustapha Awang, would not be affected as TEMAN is a national food supply cultural products and livestock to suppliers and retailers said that the complex has 287 stalls and about 95% of centre, while the wholesale market only caters to local in the country and abroad. Aside from conducting all them have been taken up, but only 30% have moved in. customers. wholesale activities, the centre is also equipped with a He wonders, however if people of the right calibre Secretary of the Persatuan Pemborong Sayur-Sayuran laboratory to test the level of pesticides in vegetables and are renting the place. He said FAMA is interested in (Vegetable Wholesalers’ Association), Tan Peng Kiang, notify the farmers should the residual be above getting professional traders and those who can be trained said that the members are unanimous in not moving to the the permissible level. to run a wholesale business. new complex. It is impressive but not practical to handle The aim is to continually The centre provides facilities to carry out trade wholesale business. The stall areas are too restrictive and monitor the processed and dried on a business-to-business basis. FAMA provides the their current location is better suited to serve the needs of food items being sold at the infrastructure but does not get involved in the business. the local community. centre to ensure that they are Since the complex is on trial, currently most of the Members of the Wholesale Fish Traders Association safe. stalls are doing retail business. The place is new and said they too were not willing to move to the new complex Other facilities include a people are not aware of its existence. because of its design flaws which make it more suitable for sophisticated electronic system Mohamed Nasir bin Muda, Manager of the Terminal retail business rather than wholesale. One of them said that said that currently two lorry loads of dokong (local fruit) he receives 60 to 70 containers of different varieties of fish and labu (pumpkins) are imported from Kelantan and in at a time and these must be unloaded immediately. Further, return guava from Tapah and vegetables are exported. the storage must be such that any particular variety can be The complex also receives fresh-water fish from Sungkai. retrieved quickly, neither of which criteria is met at the The fish market operates from 4.00 a.m. to 8.00 a.m. new complex. and the vegetable market operates in the afternoon. He added that he has received enquiries from Mustafa Higher Costs Centre in Singapore and Middle East countries to supply The traders are happy with the current services provided agricultural products. by Ipoh City Council and only pay RM1,440 annually for He said that those customers require large volumes the licence fee inclusive of water and electricity. and he had to ensure that adequate supplies are available At the new complex the rental is much higher before committing to any deal. He is also discussing with exclusive of cost of water and electricity. Plus the licence hypermarkets and supermarkets on their requirements. fee must be obtained from Kampar Town Council at an TEMAN Director Mohamad Mustapha Awang Mohamad said that TEMAN has signed an agreement additional cost. The place is too far from Ipoh and with with SAMACO (Seoul Agricultural and Maritime transport costs being higher it will be difficult for them to for auctioning of livestock. This would be the first of its Products Corporation), an agri-business organisation in do business profitably without passing on the additional kind in the country. The market price of cattle and goats Korea to provide training. cost to the customer, resulting in higher prices all around. can be determined through the auctioning. Most of the traders are of the opinion that a market First Year Rental Discounts that caters for Ipohites must be in Ipoh. They also stressed Linkage for Farmers and Markets During the first year of operation, rental at the centre is that the population of Ipoh cannot support two separate TEMAN consists of a central trade area for collecting and given at 50% discount. They are RM500 per month for wholesale markets. Business is poor and they are struggling redistributing of agricultural products to satisfy national vegetable stalls, and RM800 per month for fish and meat to be in business. food demand. It would manage wholesale activities, stalls, excluding water and electricity. A cold-room is The traders have not really taken a stand on what to do associated pre-packaging, assembly and distribution in available for a fee. From the second year of operation the if they are forced to move out. They will deal with it when an integrated and systematic environment. rental will be double. the time comes. Through use of technology and relevant infrastructure TEMAN would also be the main distributor of Is this not another potential white elephant planned in place, it would be closely linked to farmers and markets controlled items to ensure that adequate supply is and built without consultation of the end users? throughout the country as well as international markets. Golden Arowana, price: RM12,000 KOON YEW YIN SCHOLARSHIPS FOR FINANCE/ ACCOUNTANCY DEGREES Pre-degree or Foundation Course Pays for all the fees and cost of living until the PTPTN loan is secured. Criteria: • Scholarship based on eventual acceptance by UTAR • Total family income is less than RM2,000 per month. • No payback, only the commitment to help other poor students when financially solvent after graduation. Send request with IC details, proof of family income to: [email protected] Your Voice In The Community IPOH ECHO November 1-15 2010 3 www.ipohecho.com.my IPOH echoYour Voice In The Community From the Editor’s Desk PERAK HERITAGE IN LIMBO by Fathol Zaman Bukhari If destroying relics of our past or doing away with something we consider kolot (primitive) then we are nowhere near the end… he public forum requires more than just lip palong with running organised by the service and the frequent water and tin tailings on Perak Heritage knee-jerk reactions it and dulang washing T are a must to achieve the Society on Saturday, associated with those October 16 at Syuen Hotel within the heritage circle. target. Cultures, traditions, provided an insight into Dato’ Hamidah languages, tribal habitats, the thinking of Perakeans Osman, in her opening etc., too require exposure. at large. remarks, reminded the “These are the intangibles Heritage, as the 100-odd participants to be which deserve similar definition goes, is not committed in safeguarding treatment,” he remarked. confined to buildings alone. the state’s heritage. “Once Judging from the It covers such diverse gone they’re gone forever,” foregoing, Perak still aspects such as beliefs, she decried. Hamidah is has a long way to go. It culture, traditions, music, right. There is no way took Penang and Malacca languages and folklore – to of restoring an object to almost 20 years to be name just a few. Even the its former glory once it where they are today. almost barren limestone is destroyed. However, “Some soul search- outcrops that greet her plea for commitment ing is in order if we want motorists into Ipoh on the from interested parties, destroyed. “Commitment forum was the RM50,000 Professor Amran results,” said Mohd Taib. Plus Expressway and the individuals and the media is a two-way traffic,” he grant from the state Hamzah of Universiti “And the first question we disused tin mining fields does not necessarily insisted. Property owners government to Centre- Teknologi Malaysia raised need to ask is whether we in Kinta Valley are items absolve the authorities sensing that their properties KUTAI of Universiti one pertinent point about have done enough?” of heritage significance, from blame.