Country's agro-food sector needs restructuring, say MPs

KUALA LUMPUR: The government has been told to implement an action plan for the restructuring of the nation’s agro-food sector as preparation for tackling future food security crises.

Dr Richard Rapu @ Aman Anak Begri (GPS-Betong) said the government must carry out a transformation to ensure the sector becomes more resilient, inclusive, competitive and sustainable.

"This includes carrying out changes to agriculture practices, acceptance of the use of advanced technology and increased productivity, besides strengthening the ecosystem that will facilitate the transformation efforts,” he said during the debate on the Supply Bill 2024 in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday (Oct 23).

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Zahari Kechik (PN-Jeli), in echoing the same sentiments, said the government should not be too dependent on the import of food.

He said the current food security crisis was also due to the country being over-reliant on imported food, with the import value reaching RM62 billion annually.

"When an exporting country changes its policies due to various factors like production, currency crisis, climate, disease outbreak or war, the country’s food security will be badly affected and this will surely bring calamity to the people and the country,” he said.

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Meanwhile, Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias (BN-Jelebu) said the Federal government must be prepared to spend heavily on the management and initiatives of the food security agenda, thus reducing reliance on food exports.

He cited the Negeri Sembilan government, which applied for an additional RM20 million under Budget 2024 to strengthen the agricultural, livestock and fisheries industries as well as the development of idle land for agricultural use.

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"Negeri Sembilan is not a rice-producing state, but it has 1,200 hectares of land for paddy planting and, with the allocation available, we can build our own rice mills in the coming years to supply rice for our own state,” he said.

Kalam Salan (PN-Sabak Bernam), meanwhile, suggested that the government increase the floor price of paddy to RM1,500 per tonne compared to the current RM1,300.

He said this was necessary to be fair to farmers, who have to bear the cost of importing fertilisers and pesticides as well as the price of oil for machinery, in addition to maintaining food security.

The issue of food security, including increasing the supply of rice, was also brought up by several other Members of Parliament (MPs), among them Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman (PN-Sik), Rodiyah Sapiee (GPS-Batang Sadong) and Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal (PN-Bukit Gantang). - Bernama