JASIN: The Melaka government will introduce Beras Melaka next month in efforts to revitalise the rice industry and support the country's rice production, said State Rural Development, Agriculture and Food Security Committee chairman Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh.
He said Melaka had produced the MR 297 seed, a high-yield rice variety, adding that Beras Melaka is processed from rice seeds that cannot be used as planting material.
"We are taking the responsibility to market Beras Melaka to the people of Melaka in collaboration with the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority," he told reporters after Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh inspected the padi seed project at the Tengah Padang rice field in Merlimau, here on Wednesday (Jan 22).
According to him, a 10kg bag of Beras Melaka is expected to be sold at RM26 for consumers in the state as locally produced white rice is difficult to obtain.
"We will organise the sale of this rice in at least one location per district, depending on the available stock through a walk-in system, with one bag of rice limited to one family," he added.
On the rice seed project on 42ha of land that started in September 2024, Muhamad Akmal said the first harvest of the new variety involving 18 farmers is expected to begin this week, with a projected yield of 189 tonnes.
He said the RM300,000 project utilises various latest technologies, such as drones, and is expected to meet nearly half of Melaka's rice seed requirements for one planting season.
"This mission is deemed impossible as it is farmed outside the country's granary and is the first of its kind in Malaysia. We hope that from now on, rice production from this seed will address the issue of high seed prices.
"We try to sell it at a much lower price, which we hope can help Melaka farmers, while also fulfilling the state government's mission to cultivate and gazette idle rice fields," he added. - Bernama
