Shaharudin Omar, president of the Veterans Association of Malaysian Armed Forces, believed the initiative could help ensure food security.

He told FMT the farms on military camps involved in this programme should be limited to growing crops and not include the rearing of livestock.

Shaharudin also said veterans could be roped in to give them an additional source of income. He said they should be trained on the proper ways to run a farm.

However, active members of the army should not be involved in the programme as it could disrupt their duties.

“This is a good proposal in view of the concerns over food security.

“Those involved should be supplied with the basic necessities to start a farm and taught how to market their produce,” he said, adding that the Ex-Servicemen Affairs Corporation (Perhebat) should be tasked with this.

On Tuesday, defence minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the ministry planned to create vegetable gardens at every military camp throughout the country to ensure food security, especially to cater to the needs of military personnel.

He said the Syed Sirajuddin Camp in Gemas, Negeri Sembilan, had been selected for a pioneer project.

But this was questioned by the National Patriots Association (Patriot), which expressed concern over the extent that armed forces personnel would be involved in the plan.

Patriot president Brig-Gen (Rtd) Arshad Raji said Hishammuddin’s idea presupposed that soldiers would be burdened with the added responsibility of becoming vegetable farmers, in addition to their primary responsibility as soldiers.