Expertise for safer fertilizer use
Efforts underway to promote sustainable agriculture in Malaysia.
Mr Nazrul Fahmi is brimming with new ideas.
He is the Deputy Director of the Pesticide and Fertilizer Control Division, Department of Agriculture (DOA) Malaysia.
As part of his responsibilities, he is passionate about evaluating pesticide products registered by companies to ensure they are safe for environment and health.
Although a range of agricultural activities in Malaysia are undertaken to maintain high quality of agricultural products to safeguard the environment and meet the needs of farmers and communities, knowledge of global best practices regarding pesticides and fertilizers could come in handy.
Distribution and usage of counterfeit fertilizers is often a challenge in the country. In its efforts to address the issue, the DOA Malaysia has been working on a Fertiliser Act, initially based on the same structure as the Pesticides Act.
Nazrul Fahmi notes that the draft Fertiliser Act recognizes only 3 categories including Organic/ Inorganic Fertilizer, Biofertilizer and Supplements, while the EU Regulation is based on 7 functions and 15 components of the fertilizers.
He wishes to support efforts to upgrade Malaysia’s agriculture sustainability landscape as he believes that sustainable agriculture should be able to curtail impact on environment and natural resources.
“We learnt a lot about the regulations prevalent in the EU countries. The knowledge from there will help us inform our efforts as we work on our fertilizer act, “Nazrul Fahmi says.
He gained these insights during his recent visit to Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium. He has returned with first-hand knowledge about innovative sustainable agriculture technologies utilized in these countries. The visit to the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Germany particularly helped broaden his vision for sustainable agriculture in his country.
He also carried out field visits to an organic fertilizer producer and a mineral fertilizer production company. Adhering and mirroring the EU regulations regarding fertilizers would facilitate business between Malaysia and the EU.
“We need to review the structure of our Act. We realized that there is a need to deep dive on certain elements for ensuring high quality fertilizers,” he elaborates on the insights from the tour.
Back home, Nazrul Fahmi has already contributed his observations from the study tour to his peers and senior team members to support the efforts underway for Malaysia’s Fertiliser Act.
“My goal is to assist our local farmers by ensuring they are equipped to grow healthier produce.”
Nazrul Fahmi along with 3 other delegates participated in the study tour which was organized by the International Trade Centre through the European Union funded ARISE Plus Malaysia project.
About the project
The ARISE Plus Malaysia project supports inclusive and sustainable economic growth in the country through enhancing sustainable business and investment environments, improving product quality and competitiveness, as well as enhancing sustainable and internationally quality-compliant practices in the agri-food sector.
The three-year project is funded by the European Union and is a part of its national and regional ARISE Plus projects to support greater connectivity and economic integration in ASEAN. The project is implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry.