New market proposed

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MUAR: The state government plans to build a new wet market in Parit Jawa near here to cater to the increasing number of residents patronising the present market.

Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said the proposed new market would cost between RM2mil and RM3mil and is expected to be built by the end of next year.

Abdul Ghani said the new building would be a two-storey complex with the upper floor reserved for dried goods while fish, chicken and other fresh goods would be sold on the ground floor.

“The present market building is more than 20 years old and, with the increasing number of people buying fish and other goods, it is congested. The market here is very popular among those looking for freshly caught fish which the local fishermen land every morning and evening.

Seafood galore: Abdul Ghani (in dark shirt wearing glasses) looking at fresh fish and prawns sold at the Parit Jawa market recently.

“Besides local residents, fish traders and seafood restaurant operators, including from outside the district, also frequented the market. Due to its popularity as a market for fresh fish, the state decided to build a bigger market to be located on an empty plot nearby,” he said during a visit to the present market recently

On another matter, Abdul Ghani said the state also plans to allocate about 800ha of land for vegetable growers in Johor to grow vegetables on a permanent basis.

He said, at present, many of the growers and vegetable association members carried out their projects on plots leased from land owners who planted oil palm or rubber trees.

Farmers would plant vegetable on land which was planted with oil palm or rubber seedlings and would move out after the trees matured.

Despite this short-term farming, Johor still managed to be the biggest vegetable producer in the country and farmers even exported their produce to Singapore and other states.

“We have allocated some 200ha of land to vegetable farmers in Simpang Renggam and we plan to extend it to growers in other districts. We need to increase the state’s agro-based food production, which also includes food processing and marketing,” he said.