JAKARTA: The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry is expecting the domestic egg production to recover by the end of this year.
Its Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said this was due to the government’s efforts through various ministries to facilitate labour entry into agriculture and other sectors since January.
"Insya Allah, the production of eggs this year will be sufficient and can reach the export level at the end of the year,” he said at a gathering with the Malaysian diaspora in Indonesia on Saturday.
He said the ministry would also continue to pay attention to risks such as climate change and diseases that can affect production.
On Dec 16 last year, the ministry agreed to temporarily allow the import of eggs to overcome the shortage and will review the decision once the domestic supply stabilises.
"After imported eggs started to come in, our supply is showing signs of stability, and at this stage, we can stop the import at any time because we want to prioritise local producers,” he said.
Mohamad and the ministry’s senior officials are on a three-day visit to Indonesia from March 17 to explore new technologies and approaches used by the republic to increase rice production.
He said they had the opportunity to witness the success of rice farmers there, whose production is sufficient for the 276 million population.
"This will encourage our farmers to succeed if they work like farmers here, even though their subsidies are lower than in Malaysia,” he said.
Mohamad added that the ministry aims to increase the national self-sufficiency level (SSL) from the current 65% to 75% in 2025 and then to 80% in 2030.
"This will be achieved if the yield is increased from five tonnes per hectare to an average of seven tonnes per hectare,” he said. - Bernama
