Negeri Sembilan Activates Haze And Open Burning Response Plan
State Entrepreneurship, Human Resources, Climate Change, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman S. Veerapan said the plan was activated after the Air Pollutant Index (API) level exceeded the 150 threshold for a continuous 24-hour period.
'The state government will intensify patrols and enforcement against open burning activities, especially in high-risk agricultural and industrial areas.
'We will also assess the implementation of cloud seeding technology in collaboration with federal agencies should air pollution levels continue to rise,' he said in a statement today.
He also urged the people in Negeri Sembilan to play an active role by reporting open burning activities through the DOE complaint hotline and supporting the state's efforts towards a more sustainable future.
According to DOE's Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS) portal, eight areas in Peninsular Malaysia recorded unhealthy API levels as of 6 pm today.
Alor Gajah in Melaka recorded the highest reading at 157, followed by Seremban (155), Negeri Sembilan; Kemaman (153), Terengganu; Banting, Selangor; Temerloh and Balok Baru in Kuantan, Pahang, each at 152; Nilai (146), Negeri Sembilan; and Johan Setia (140), Selangor.
An API reading between 101 and 200 is considered unhealthy, which can have adverse effects on high-risk groups, including the elderly, children, and individuals with respiratory conditions.
-- BERNAMA
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Possibly pure Katjang goats, which are almost extinct, seen at Kamal's farm. — Bernama photo IN a wooden paddock sitting at the edge of a sun-beaten field in Rembau, Negeri Sembilan, livestock farmer Kamaruzaman Budin walks slowly toward five goats huddled nervously in the corner of their new pen. With black, brown or mixed coats, of which three are short-eared and lean, their diminutive size is striking compared to the goats in the neighbouring pens, some of which are taller than the railings. Kamaruzaman, 67, better known as 'Kamal', points to a brown goat with a black line along its spine. Then he points to another, then another. 'Ha, this is 'Kacang',' he tells Bernama. 'One, two, three 'Kacang'.' Kamal has just acquired these five goats from another farmer. The seller claims all five are pure-bred 'Katjang', or 'Kacang' as it is known colloquially ('kacang' means peanut in Bahasa Malaysia). The Katjang (Capri aegagrus hircus) is the only goat breed native to Malaysia. 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Then slowly the focus shifted to goats with higher meat yield and from 2004 onwards, Boer goats with their impressive build and meat production were imported from South Africa and Australia. However, this stock had an oft-fatal flaw – it could not deal with Malaysia's climate, resulting in a 20 per cent mortality rate, according to Mardi. 'If you talk to farmers (now), what they want is survivability. 'So local (breed) is the most survivable and adaptable so we know there is a demand for (local breeds), but the local breeds are still small,' says Dr Ainu Husna. To offset this, the government at the time encouraged farmers to cross-breed with the resilient Katjang. At first, cross-breeding seemed like a win. Hybrids grew faster and bigger, and fetched higher prices. But the lack of a proper breeding programme caused the Katjang gene pool to become diluted over time. Any pure Katjang goats that remained were used again and again, causing inbreeding and resulting in smaller and unhealthy goats. Following a survey conducted by the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) from 2001 to 2002, the Katjang was classified as being at risk of extinction, and the United Nations (UN)'s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) listed its status as 'unknown'. Other local breeds of livestock are also facing extinction, including the 'KK' (Kedah-Kelantan) cow, while one breed may be extinct. Mardi believes that the indigenous 'Malin' sheep (Ovis aries) is extinct as a breed. Over two decades later, the Katjang's current numbers are unknown. Mardi has a herd of about 100 Katjang goats at its farm in Kluang, Johor, and its researchers are always on the search for more. 'Small goat, big role' At first glance, saving the Katjang might seem odd as it is a livestock breed, reared to be eaten. After all, if one breed of goat is extinct, can't Malaysia just get other goats from elsewhere? Livestock experts say it is not that simple. Although the goat industry is small in Malaysia, there is a consistent market for it, especially among Muslims and Hindus. Muslims sacrifice goats and distribute the meat, called mutton in Malaysia, during religious events like 'qurban' during Hari Raya Aidiladha (haj season) and 'aqiqah', which is to celebrate births; while Hindus, who refrain from eating beef, consume mutton as their red meat. In 2023, the consumption of mutton, which includes goat and sheep meat, had increased to 1.4kg per capita from 1kg in 2022, while Malaysia's self-sufficiency rate of the meat was 8.7 per cent, a drop from 10.7 per cent recorded in the previous year. Malaysia spent RM8.5 million importing live goats and RM18.62 million on live sheep in 2023, and RM772.4 million on fresh, frozen and processed mutton. 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'The Katjang goat may not match imported breeds in terms of size or meat production, but in the context of climate change, its adaptability to these changes could become critical for the future of Malaysia's livestock industry,' she writes in an email to Bernama. The FAO reported that as at March 2018, 594 local agricultural breeds out of the 7,745 local breeds listed were extinct, while 26 per cent were considered 'at risk of extinction' and 67 per cent as having 'unknown' status. Should they disappear, so will the genetic traits needed to adapt to new environmental and economic realities. 'Malaysianised goat' The core of the Katjang rescue mission lies in a growing effort to locate and collect the DNA of pure Katjang goats. The project combines old-fashioned legwork and husbandry with modern reproductive methods and genetic science. Dr Ainu Husna's team has been fanning out across rural areas in Peninsular Malaysia, visiting livestock farms and Orang Asli villages. When they spot an animal that looks promising, which is rare, they usually purchase the animals for their farm in Johor, collect samples and sequence their genome for desirable genetic markers. Those with the desired traits will be used for selective breeding with other breeds, in the hopes of producing bigger and meatier, but also heat-tolerant and disease-resistant Katjang hybrids. Under the Katjang rescue mission, Dr Ainu Husna's team has been fanning out across the rural areas in Peninsular Malaysia, visiting livestock farms and Orang Asli villages Dr Ainu Husna. — Bernama photo 'We decided we need to have something in the middle,' she says. 'Now, we are developing our pure Katjang-Boer mix or Malaysianised Boer. (For that) we need pure Katjang.' The selective cross-breeding programme utilises natural and artificial fertilisation methods, using semen or eggs stored in liquid nitrogen. In general, Dr Ainu Husna says Mardi prefers to use natural breeding as it tends to be more successful, with an 80 per cent success rate. But if that is not possible, then researchers will use artificial insemination or in-vitro fertilisation. The DVS also has a biobank of Katjang sperm samples. Having a ready supply of pure Katjang is necessary to refresh the genetic makeup of the Malaysianised Boer after several generations. It is an expensive and time-consuming process, but one that could safeguard the breed and the country's long-term food security. 'We might not see the challenge now, but as time goes by, the future might bring something that we are not prepared for if we don't have this,' says Dr Shairah, who is a senior lecturer at UKM. 'Lack of awareness' Despite the urgency, the Katjang conservation project faces daunting barriers. Researchers tell Bernama they have trouble getting funding or cooperation for conservation efforts because people, including farmers, do not understand the importance of saving local livestock breeds too, not just wildlife. Without financial incentives or market demand for pure Katjang, most smallholders will not choose a smaller, slower-growing goat over a meatier import. 'Farmers often find it more profitable to raise imported or cross-bred goats rather than pure-bred Katjang goats,' says Dr Ernie Muneerah. A few have floated the idea of subsidising farmers to not cross-breed their Katjang and keeping a registry of farmers with pure Katjang, which they can exchange for breeding. All parties want to fix the disconnect between scientists and farmers, and encourage farmers to use available resources such as Mardi and DVS to breed their livestock. Meanwhile, under the glare of the late afternoon sun in Rembau, Kamal pours a bucket of feed into a blue trough. The goats shuffle over, nudging each other gently. He watches them for a moment, thoughtful. They may be tiny, but these goats are tough, he says. 'When it comes to changes, whether climate or something else, I think the Katjang goat will definitely survive.' — Bernama
