SERDANG, Nov 30 — E-commerce platforms can be a medium to stabilise and lower prices of agro-food products in the country by reducing the involvement of middlemen, Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee said.
“With the e-commerce platform, producers can market products directly to buyers at a price lower than the market price, without being manipulated by middlemen,” he said.
“We really want to reduce the involvement of middlemen so that producers can maximise their income,” he told the media after launching the agro product e-commerce platform, Agro Tradzt, at the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) here today.
He said the online bazaar operated by the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA), ‘Agrobazaar Online’, recorded sales of almost RM4 million from Jan 2020 to Oct 31, while online store AgroBazaar Malaysia, which can be accessed via the Shopee e-commerce platform, and AirAsia Farm recorded sales of almost RM1 million in the same period.
“The use of these platforms that market fresh agro-food products have become the new norm since Malaysia was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
