KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 7): Malaysia must accelerate the modernisation of its agricultural sector and improve production efficiency to strengthen food security amid growing challenges, said Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu.
He said Malaysia could learn from countries such as Brazil, which had significantly increased its agricultural output, particularly corn, through a market guarantee system rather than relying solely on subsidies.
Recounting his meeting with his Brazilian counterpart, Mohamad Sabu said Brazil's approach did not involve providing subsidies to farmers. Instead, the government guaranteed to purchase produce that could not be sold in the market.
"Regardless of how much they produce, the government guarantees to buy any unsold produce. This motivates farmers to work harder and increase their output, knowing that the government will purchase what they cannot sell," he said.
He was speaking at the Malaysia Madani Intellectual Forum Series 14 here on Friday night, moderated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Also present were Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, SD Guthrie Berhad Group President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mohd Haris Mohd Arshad, and PNB Research Institute CEO Dr Sarena Che Omar.
On the RM2.6 billion in subsidies allocated for local padi production, Mohamad Sabu said calls to discontinue the subsidies and rely solely on government purchases of rice were not appropriate.
He said padi farmers still needed continued support and encouragement to improve production.
"There has been progress, but we are moving a little slowly. At Mada [Muda Agricultural Development Authority], yields of eight to nine tonnes can already be achieved, although not by many farmers. We need to accelerate the shift towards modernisation," he said.
On other food commodities, Malaysia had achieved self-sufficiency in fish through the rapid growth of its aquaculture sector, he said, adding that domestic chicken and egg production was also sufficient to meet the country's needs.
To reduce dependence on imports, the ministry was promoting grain corn cultivation in collaboration with major companies, with a target of meeting 30% of domestic demand by 2030.
The ministry was also expanding onion cultivation based on research by the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi), he said.
Mohamad Sabu also stressed the need to strengthen links between agricultural research institutions and universities and farmers, citing Thailand as an example.
"If we visit an agricultural university in Thailand and spend two or three hours there, we can see groups of farmers coming in and out. We need to strengthen this link so that technology developed today can reach rural communities by tomorrow," he said.
On geopolitical security and future threats, Mohamad Sabu urged the public to be prepared for possible cyberwarfare that could disrupt food supply chains, as some European countries were already experiencing supply disruptions and food inflation.
However, he assured that the country's basic food supplies were sufficient, with rice buffer stocks available for at least six months and fish supplies for eight months.
The Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) was also prepared to manage physical food distribution should access to digital systems be disrupted, he said.
On weather-related challenges, Mohamad Sabu said the ministry was monitoring forecasts by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) on the El Nino phenomenon, which could bring extreme temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius after December.
He advised padi farmers to follow the stipulated planting schedules to ensure prudent management of water resources at the three main dams in the Mada area.
"If water levels at the dams become critically low, we will reduce water supply to padi fields and prioritise domestic needs. We take into account the views of scientists, meteorologists and universities to ensure food security is maintained," he said.
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