Sufficient rice to feed the people

National physical stock exceeds 1 mln tonnes, can meet Malaysia’s demand for 5.48 months, says ministry

The country’s physical stock of rice to date is 1,096,964 tonnes, including 290,000 tonnes of rice buffer stock, and is able to cover the people’s needs for 5.48 months, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS).

In a statement yesterday, MAFS gave its assurance that the supply of rice as the country’s staple food in the market is sufficient to meet the needs of the people.

“Furthermore, the amount of the country’s physical stock rice compared to the total population is one of the highest and guaranteed in the region,” it said.

Currently, the distribution of local white rice (BPT) stock is actively being carried out and the reduction in the price of imported white rice (BPI) of between RM2 to RM3 has also been implemented to meet the needs of consumers, as finalised by the National Action Council on Cost of Living (Naccol) last month.

According to the ministry, the government has also implemented various initiatives to ensure an increase in local rice production, particularly through the ‘12 Rice Wave Initiatives’ and among those drafted is the expansion of the Large-Scale Smart Padi (SMART SBB) Ala Sekinchan programme, a fiveseason rice planting programme for two years, and initiatives to strengthen infrastructure padi field irrigation.

“MAFS also encourages the cultivation and consumption of other nutritious and healthy crops by the people apart from the national staple food, and this is the main emphasis of MAFS in implementing the national food security agenda in line with the

… the amount of the country’s physical stock rice compared to the total population is one of the highest and guaranteed in the region.

Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security

National Agro-Food Policy (DAN) 2021-2030,” it said.

On Jan 16, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu was reported to have said the Rice Wave Initiative was launched this year to raise the country’s rice and rice industry to a more efficient and resilient level.

He was reported to have said that MAFS had outlined 12 programmes to be implemented through the initiative as a ‘change trigger’ for the transformation of the country’s rice industry, among which is introducing a new policy for certified padi seed incentive.

He also said MAFS targeted to implement the SMART SBB practice on approximately 150,000 hectares of padi planting area nationwide by 2030, including in Sarawak and Sabah.

On the Sarawak government’s part, Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg last month said the state plans to allocate about 20,000 hectares for high-yield rice cultivation and raise the current rice production rate of 36 per cent to a selfsustaining 100 per cent by 2030.