PRAYER FOR GOVERNMENT

MINISTRY OF PLANTATION INDUSTRIES AND COMMODITIES – MPIC (Perusahaan Perladangan dan Komoditi)

Minister: YB DATUK HAJAH ZURAIDA BINTI KAMARUDDIN
Deputy Minister: YB DATO’ SRI DR. WEE JECK SENG

Deuteronomy 8: 7-8 “For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; …”

The Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities (MPIC) is a ministry of the Government of Malaysia that is responsible for plantation and commodities, such as palm oil, rubber, timber, cocoa, pepper, kenaf, biofuel and tobacco.

Lord, we pray that the minister and all the government workers supporting her will have the wisdom to develop and execute policies that will prosper the development of the cash crops in line with the government’s direction in restructuring the economy in this phase of post-covid economic recovery.

  • We pray that policies regarding smallholders in the oil palm plantation will be one that safeguards the smallholders’ welfare and success in the sector, and the policies will also be one that create jobs for Malaysians in the agri-commodity sector. Lord, we plead for wisdom to come upon the policy-makers to have inspiration and ideas that can be implemented to raise the income level of the small-holders so that all levels of society will prosper together. Lord, we pray for You to open new opportunities for employment to enable those in this sector to live with dignity.

 

  • Father, as Your presence permeates these sectors, we pray that You will open the hearts of employers or corporations who have achieved success to be generous in sharing resources, including the know-how to help the other players in the industry to advance.

 

  • Lord, we thank you that you exposed many of the dark issues (during the Covid season) facing the foreign workers in Malaysia. Although the oil palm industry is one of the back-bones of the Malaysian economy, we confess that the nation’s prosperity has been gained through the abuses and exploitation of foreign workers and we seek Your forgiveness. The labour scarcity was worsened during the pandemic with shut borders and the federal government’s prolonged freeze on migrant hiring, reducing the entry to new international employees.

Lord Jesus, we ask that the policies and regulations developed to manage foreign labour will be one that will help to revive the sector as well as ensure good welfare for the workers who come into the country to help build this sector.  Father, we pray that justice and righteousness in this sector, particularly in managing foreign labour, will be established. Lord, we pray we will value these workers and not exploit them as this will invite Your wrath.  In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

  

AGRICULTURE AND FOOD INDUSTRIES – MAFI (Pertanian dan Industri Makanan)

Senior Minister: YB DATUK SERI DR RONALD KIANDEE
Deputy I : YB DATUK SERI HJ AHMAD HAMZAH

Deputy II : YB DR NIK MUHAMMAD ZAWAWI SALLEH

You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing (Psalm 65:9-13).

  • Lord, we pray that the minister and the workers in the ministry will be granted the wisdom to recognize the importance of the role of this ministry and take necessary measures to ensure that it continues to ensure food security for all the inhabitants in the nation.

 

  • Lord, we pray that land-owners and the state governments will not purely look at profit from cash crops, and will not sell or convert their land to the construction/building sectors, but will recognize that their decision in keeping their land in food-agriculture is critical for the food security for the nation.

 

  • Lord, we pray that MAFI will find ways to encourage investment in the latest technology to improve productivity, including machinery adoption and support. It will also provide marketing know-how to farmers to get their food crops to the market and even to provide ways to counter destruction and loss from the increased natural disasters due to climate change.

 

  • Father Lord, we pray for the smooth planning and logistics of food supply to every segment of society. We pray for good cooperation and clear communication among the agencies such as the National Agency of Disaster Management (NADMA), the Malaysia Welfare Department (JKM) and the Domestic Trade Ministry to ensure that food supplies can go out to segments of society who need basic food supplies through Food Banks, nutrition programs and food distribution during times of natural disasters. We pray that God will protect those in B40 and even those in the M40 group who are struggling to put food on the table during this difficult time, and provide for their needs and give them hope.

 

  • Ukraine and Russia supply nearly 30% of the world’s wheat exports, 19% of the world’s corn and 80% of global supply of sunflower oil. The current situation will exacerbate the high inflation of food prices. Consumers will have no choice but to brace for higher prices.

 

  • Lord, we pray that You will give our leaders and the Government the wisdom to guide our nation out of the current crisis of rising food cost, by responding appropriately and taking necessary measures to ensure that food supplies continue to be affordable and available to all in our nation. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.