Rice production in Malaysia target to be reviewed

Tuesday,March 29 2011

THE country’s target to reach 70% self-sufficiency level (SSL) in rice production will be reviewed, the Agriculture and Agro-based Indus-tries Ministry said.

The review would be based on food security factors and the effects of climate change, its minister Datuk Noh Omar said.

“Although Malaysia had succeeded in surpassing the SSL target in rice production to 71.4%, the National Economic Council will review it from time to time,” he told Datuk Taib Azamudden Md Taib (PAS-Baling) who asked whether the Government was confident of achieving this objective by 2015, when the country would no longer need to import rice.

Noh said the demand for rice had increased annually by 3% due to a growing population and the influx of foreigners compared with food production which only increased by 0.05%.

“There is an imbalance between demand and supply of food production in the country,” he said.

Noh added that the ministry planned to increase rice yield through the use of new rice varieties, adopting new technologies and practising proper land management.