PETALING JAYA: A high-level committee will be set up to develop the national grain corn industry, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Through this, the country plans to strengthen its poultry and animal feed industries over a 15-year development period.
He said that the committee would be chaired by Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu
"It is projected that by 2030, 136,527 hectares of land will be developed to produce 1.25 million metric tonnes of grain corn," he said in a statement after chairing the National Action Council on Cost of Living (Naccol).
Ahmad Zahid said he had agreed that the ministry would lead the development as the matter is closely related to national food security.
He added that the development would be based on several strategies and would be done in collaboration with the Rural and Regional Development Ministry and the Plantation and Commodities Ministry.
"This needs to be expedited to ensure that the dependency on imported corn can be significantly reduced," he said.
Also present during the meeting were the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Ali and his deputy Fuziah Salleh, chief secretaries of ministries, state government secretaries, and representatives from agencies, corporate, non-governmental groups, industry and consumers.
Ahmad Zahid also suggested that to hit the target set, the size of the land used for planting corn needs to be doubled in the current development phase (2021-2025).
"I also urge the state governments and other parties to support this proposal by identifying vacant lands that can be used to expand the development.
"I am also offering land owned by agencies under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry, such as Felcra, Risda, and the Land Development Board to be developed," he said.
