Environmental watchdog Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) has denounced the government's decision to allow a plot of land cultivated by some 200 farmers in Changkat Kinding near Chemor, Perak, to be used for development.

The Star today reported the plight of the farmers who have been cultivating the land since 1940. The farmers claimed that they were not informed of the move and were unable to negotiate any terms with the housing developers.

Responding to the report, SAM president SM Mohd Idris said he was outraged that the group of mostly third-generation farmers were ousted without prior warning and that the government was obligated to inform occupiers of any ownership change.

"In this case it seems that the parties most aware of the deal were the government and the developers", he said in a statement.

Mohd Idris said such an unexpected move would severely affect the livelihood of the farmers.

"Based on average family size, it is possible that as many as 800 people, if not more, could be affected by this expropriation," he added.

Uneconomical move

According to Mohd Idris, the farmers plays an important role in the supply of local vegetables, as imported vegetables would require transportation and preservation, thus passing the cost to consumers.

"The loss of fresh vegetables by these 200 farmers is counter to our national food security policy and could place pressure on the national food import bill given that Malaysia is not self-sufficient in food", he said.

He also questioned the conversion of fertile agricultural land into sterile housing land, in view that degraded lands are available for development.

Similarly, a group of farmers from Tanah Hitam, Chemor were forced to evict from their farm land in 2002 to make way for housing projects.