PUTRAJAYA: The country’s rice self-sufficiency rate (SSR) and per capita consumption (PCC) are 56.2 per cent and 76.7kg per year, respectively, based on the new calculation method for SSR and PCC, according to the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry.
The ministry said the new calculation method was in line with the standards set by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The ministry said that the readjustment resulted in the country’s rice stock position for 2023 standing at 240,233 tonnes per year for trading stock and 40,000 tonnes for the stockpile.
"The data shows a 4.7 per cent decrease in rice production, from 2.28 million tonnes in 2022 to 2.18 million tonnes in 2023.
"This situation also led to a drop in rice production to 1.5 million tonnes, a decline of 4.6 per cent compared to 1.57 million tonnes in 2022,” it said in a statement on Friday (Oct 11).
According to the ministry, the reduction was attributed to various internal and external factors that affected the country’s padi and rice productivity.
The statement also said that the new calculation method for SSR and PCC was based on documents issued by the FAO, namely Food Balance Sheets - A Handbook, 2001 and Guidelines for the Compilation of Food Balance Sheet, 2017.
It said that through the new method, the ministry adjusted the basis for calculating rice production in 2023 by taking into account only the amount of clean padi that would be processed into rice.
"This calculation does not include the amount of rice production intended for seeding purposes within the same year.
"This method also retains the paddy to rice conversion rates currently used across different zones, with Peninsular Malaysia at 70 per cent, Sabah at 63 per cent, and Sarawak at 60 per cent,” read the statement.
The ministry stated that it remained committed to implementing initiatives aimed at increasing the SSR, including collaboration with various stakeholders, such as state governments.- Bernama
