Seven former livestock exporters have written to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad seeking permission to re-open their pig farms in Bukit Pelanduk, Negeri Sembilan, which were closed after the Nipah virus outbreak in 1998.

In the letter dated Oct 4, the proprietors of exporter farms expressed their desire to resume pig farming operations in their old farms as they could not afford to build new ones.

The letter was signed by the proprietors of Nam Hing Loong Fook Kee Sdn Bhd, Huangfa Agriculture Sdn Bhd, Hup Huat Poultry Farm and Feedmill Sdn Bhd, Lanfang Agriculture Sdn Bhd, Gan Kook Ching Agriculture, Shin Cherng Fatt Agriculture Enterprise and SPF Farming Sdn Bhd.

The proprietors said their old farms have the highest standard of pollution and disease control as well as satisfactory bio-security sanitation since they have earned the "exporter status" to Singapore.

"From the 60s until the time of the Nipah virus outbreak in early 1999, we had continuously invested in upgrading the production system in our respective farms," they explained, adding that the facilities and equipment in their farms are now worth about RM15 million at current market price.

"Now, all our facilities and equipment are abandoned," they added in the letter.

Although the government announced that it allowed pig-farming, the activity is now restricted to the new Pig Farming Area (PFA) in Jimah, Negri Sembilan. Pig farming is not allowed elsewhere in the state.

Besides the high cost incurred in building new farming facilities, the export farmers claimed that the production cost in the PFA is at least 18 percent higher than farms elsewhere.

They said that only 15 percent of pig farmers in Negri Sembilan had bought the new farm land in the PFA.

"The remaining 85 percent will not be able to resume their pig-farming activities," the seven export farmers said.

Stopped exporting

When contacted today, the Malaysian Swine Producers Association which was known as the Malaysian Swine Exporters Association before the outbreak, told malaysiakini that Malaysia no longer exports any livestock to Singapore since the republic has refused to buy from Malaysia.

Malaysia used to export about 90,000 pigs to Singapore monthly.

According to a source from the association, the future of the export industry will depend on the findings by the International Organisation of Animal Epizootics (OIE), the Malaysian Veterinary Services Department and the Singaporean authorities.

He also said the OIE has been conducting a study into the Nipah outbreak in Malaysia and may reveal its findings soon.

If Malaysia is declared Nipah-free, then the chances of exporting to Singapore again will be bright.