One fishing boat owner will have to fork out RM168,000 a year to pay for ICE supply ONLY. 33 fishing boats owners will have to pay at a staggering lucrative profiteering figure at RM5.544million per year for ice ONLY. ~~~ Junz ADUN LIKAS Junz Wong welcomed the assurance by Datuk Jaujan, Chairman of Sabah Fish Marketing SdnBhd (SAFMA) that SAFMA remains committed to improve SAFMA services and facilities to make Sabah a haven for seafood. Junz however questioned the purpose of SAFMA as a commercial based organization when its set up by taxpayers money to develop Sabah fishery sector. Is SAFMA a government linked company? Is SAFMA set up with government assistance via guaranteed loan? Who are the shareholders of SAFMA? Junz inquired As I was informed that the Sabah Government is the major shareholder of SAFMA, the profit-based entity and if this is true, SAFMA has every social responsibility to serve the public, help fishery sector and not profit driven blindly. SAFMA has to serve even if it has to be for free. Junz stressed Junz Wong who is also DAP Sabah Organizing Secretary emphasized AGAIN that the fishing boats owners & fishmongers, represented by KK Fish Boats Owners Association (KKFBOA) have never demanded to use SAFMA facilities for FREE. KKFBOA only hoped that the SAFMA charges are reasonable and not excessive. And definitely NOT the most expensive in Malaysia! Since early 2013, SAFMA has privatized its water service and followed by ice supplies on mid June to impose higher charges upon all the fishery operators. Accordingly to the fishermen, prices for water supplies were charged at RM5.00/per cubic metre in Dec 2012. After privatization, the new water charges in the jetty has raised up to RM7.00/per cubic metre which is very unreasonable. Bear in mind that the normal water charges is only RM0.90 per cubic metre. On 18 June, SAFMA has privatized its ice supply service and private company has imposed new charges on ice supply. Before privatization of ice supply: A block of ice (equivalent to 3 packs of ice) costs RM15.00. During high season, there would not be enough ice supply by SAFMA and therefore fishing boat owners would order ice supplies from third party and each lorry delivery would cost RM40 per entry into the SAFMA Jetty. After privatization of ice supply: A block of ice costs RM24.00 and NO ice from outside is allowed to be brought into SAFMA premise. So now the private company could force fishing boats owners and fishmongers to buy ice supply from them?! Is that right? Junz asked To better understand this issue, lets look at this illustration: There are altogether 130 fishing ships operating in SAFMA jetty. 33 out of the 130 ships are relatively larger ships. During high season, each ship may need to use up to 350 packs of ice each day. During low season, each ship will still use at least 150 packs of ice. Fishing ship does not operate everyday due to weather conditions and so forth so average operational fishing days is calculated at 20days per month and only operate for 9 months from March to November. So average usage of ice supply annually for each bigger ship is approximately 21,000 packs of ice. 21000 bag x rm8=rm168000 x 33kapal=rm5.544m Assuming that 33 big fishing boats owners bought 21000 packs of ice supply at RM8.00 per pack from SAFMA privatized company; One fishing boat owner will have to fork out RM168,000 a year to pay for ICE supply ONLY. 33 fishing boats owners will have to pay at a staggering lucrative profiteering figure at RM5.544million per year for ice ONLY. Fishmongers also have to buy ice supply from this private company at more expensive price of RM10 per pack to operate fish business. The above illustration has not taken into account the profits earned from poor fishmongers and other unreasonable charges imposed by other private companies at SAFMA premise. Now Can SAFMA justify these unreasonable charges imposed ? Is this fair and justifiable ? Junz asked. Junz said the fishery stakeholders were very disappointed that they have never been invited for pre-discussion and public opinions before implementation of such privatized service programs. After all who knows the fishery sector better than the stakeholders themselves? According to the statement published in Daily Express on 1st August 2013 by Senator Datuk Yunus Kurus calling Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry to take proactive measures to reduce “middlemen” as “their continued presence do not help to improve the income of fishermen despite increasing catch”, he said when debating a motion on the Supplementary Supply Bill (2012) 2013. Junz quoted. Isn’t such privatization another form of ‘middlemen” system? As a result, prices of fishes will increase and burden will eventually be passed down to the consumers. Privatization of SAFMA services must be terminated immediately. Junz stressed. Junz once again appealed to New SAFMA Chairman YB Datuk Jaujan Sambakong to look into this serious problem which was affecting the fishery sector badly. Datuk Jaujan was quoted as saying at his maiden SAFMA Board of Directors meeting that his first task would be to look at SAFMAs shortcomings in Daily Express Newspaper published on 31 July 2013. He also said that SAFMA played an important role in BOOSTING the Sabah fishery sector and he saw Sabah as a potential major fishery sector in the region. I do very much agree with Datuk Jaujan and look forward to seeing New SAFMA Chairman overcoming its shortcomings. These are the exact shortcomings that may very well poised to destroy the fishery sectors sooner or later. Junz concluded.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 05:18:40 +0000
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