Najib: 150 farmers' markets and agro bazaars to be set up in 2016

Najib looking at terubok, a prized fish from Sarawak, at the Farmers, Fishermen and Livestock Breeders Day in Kota Samarahan. - ZULAZHAR SHEBLEE / THE STAR

KOTA SAMARAHAN: A total of 150 farmers' markets and agro bazaars are to be set up in 2016, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Najib announced plans to set up 50 more farmers' markets and 100 agro bazaars next year, including four farmers' markets and 10 agro bazaars in Sarawak, saying that food security is a major challenge faced by the world.

"If the level of food production is not increased by 60%, the world will face a famine.

Even now about 800 million people in the world go to bed hungry," he said at the Farmers, Fishermen and Livestock Breeders Day here on Saturday.

As such, Najib said he considered food security a challenge that needed to be given serious attention, adding that Malaysia should increase its food production to reduce the existing deficit of RM17bil a year.

Najib said that the Government had allocated RM5.3bil for agriculture in Budget 2016.

"We want the agriculture sector to achieve a growth rate of 3.5% and contribute 7% to GDP by 2020," he added.