Government must promote agriculture as a career option

The Government may wish to get more people employed in agriculture, but there seems to be a lack of emphasis in encouraging youths to join the industry.

Unlike other industries, agriculture is not on the radar of school leavers, who prefer to study subjects that will provide them with a steady income and normal working hours.

It is seen as a profession where workers need to dirty their hands and spend a lot of time in the open, and not air-conditioned offices. This is not a feature that those with higher education are used to.

Though Malaysia is basically an agricultural nation, it has failed to attract business or corporations interested in farming other than plantation.

Companies may be prepared to invest tens of millions in the plantation sector but will baulk when it comes to large-scale farming of other agricultural produce. Even financial institutions will not be keen to lend for this purpose.

The public will need to change this perception first before the planting of crops – such as rice, vegetables and fruit – or investing in aquaculture and animal husbandry becomes fashionable, even though there is a huge demand for such produce.

The situation is similar in attracting more youths to take up agriculture as a profession. This is due purely to a lack of understanding of opportunities available and no proper guidance to those in the final years of their secondary education.

Counselling in schools is crucial, but unfortunately many of those in charge of this subject are themselves ignorant of the potential in this sector. Their career advice would most probably centre on the traditional professions such as medicine, accountancy, management, the sciences, law or engineering.