Good agricultural practices (GAP) of tomatoes in Malaysia: Evidences from Cameron Highlands

Abstract

The demand for healthy and safety tomatoes have been increased in both at the export as well as domestic markets in Malaysia. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of the good agricultural practices (GAP) in the production and marketing of tomatoes in the Cameron Highlands; which is an important vegetable growing area in Malaysia. The study adopted the case study method to obtain the necessary data on the farming system of both GAP-practicing tomato producers and those of conventional farmers (who were non-practicing GAP). The study found that the large scale farmers, who practiced GAP, have been successful in improving productivity and income (1.7 times higher) through exporting quality tomatoes compared to the farmers who produce tomatoes without practicing GAP. The small scale farmers, who did not practice GAP, lacked access to credit for investment, as well as technical support. The Malaysian certification scheme needs to be upgraded, extended and monitored to ensure the quality of the produce. Key words: Good agricultural practices (GAP), marketing-channel, tomato production, food-safety, Cameron Highlands.