Malaysia is aiming to achieve rice self-sufficiency and end riceimports by 2020, Bernama news agency quoted Malaysian Minister ofAgriculture and Agro-based Industry as saying on May 13.
The country’s government will spend 2.2 billion RM (around 615 millionUSD) out of the 6 billion RM (1.7 billion USD) budget allocated to theagriculture sector this year to help local farmers produce rice on awide scale and increase yields.
Other plans toincrease sufficiency include upgrading irrigation networks, using hybridpaddy seeds and adopting good agriculture practices.
The farmers expect to raise their paddy yield to 7 tonnes per hectare from the current level of 6 tonnes.
According to the minister, Malaysia imports around 0.9 million tonnesof rice every year, while another one million tonnes is illegallyimported.
The website oryza.com reported on May 12that the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO)estimated Malaysia’s rice imports between 2014 and 2015 increased 24percent from the 2013 – 2014 period, following strong domesticconsumption demand and the government’s efforts to replenish nationalstockpiles.
The country’s paddy rice production hasalso been forecast to hit 2.6 million tonnes, up 100,000 tonnes fromlast year, thanks to favourable weather condition and continued supportfrom the government to the sector, FAO said.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Agriculture estimates Malaysia willproduce about 1.8 million tonnes of rice and import around one milliontonnes of rice this year.-VNA
The country’s government will spend 2.2 billion RM (around 615 millionUSD) out of the 6 billion RM (1.7 billion USD) budget allocated to theagriculture sector this year to help local farmers produce rice on awide scale and increase yields.
Other plans toincrease sufficiency include upgrading irrigation networks, using hybridpaddy seeds and adopting good agriculture practices.
The farmers expect to raise their paddy yield to 7 tonnes per hectare from the current level of 6 tonnes.
According to the minister, Malaysia imports around 0.9 million tonnesof rice every year, while another one million tonnes is illegallyimported.
The website oryza.com reported on May 12that the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO)estimated Malaysia’s rice imports between 2014 and 2015 increased 24percent from the 2013 – 2014 period, following strong domesticconsumption demand and the government’s efforts to replenish nationalstockpiles.
The country’s paddy rice production hasalso been forecast to hit 2.6 million tonnes, up 100,000 tonnes fromlast year, thanks to favourable weather condition and continued supportfrom the government to the sector, FAO said.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Agriculture estimates Malaysia willproduce about 1.8 million tonnes of rice and import around one milliontonnes of rice this year.-VNA
