PUTRAJAYA: The nation’s rice stockpile currently stands at 200,000 metric tonnes, sufficient to meet domestic needs for some 6.66 months.
Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup said the total physical stock of rice in the country amounts to 1,331,016 metric tonnes.
“This supply is enough to sustain the country’s needs for over six months,” he said when met by reporters after officiating the National Agricultural and Food Engineering Convention (Nafec) 2025 here yesterday, Sinar Harian reported.
He was responding to concerns regarding rising tensions between India and Pakistan in Kashmir, which is feared to escalate.
According to data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for 2024/2025, India produces approximately 147 million metric tonnes of rice, accounting for 27% of global output.
This makes India the largest rice producer, surpassing China, which produces around 145.28 million metric tonnes.
Pakistan, meanwhile, produces about 10 million metric tonnes of rice, ranking it as the 10th largest producer in the world.
Although its total output is smaller compared to other countries, Pakistan is well-known as a major exporter of the high-value Basmati rice variety in the international market.
Commenting on concerns over potential supply disruptions due to the geopolitical conflict between these nations, Arthur said that Malaysia has specific measures and strategies in place to safeguard its rice supply, including the diversification of rice sources.
He added that there is an urgent need to transform the agriculture and agrofood sector in view of the gap between agrofood imports and exports with the sector recording a high trade deficit of RM39.4bil.
Arthur said the sector could be transformed through the adoption of modern and smart technologies such as automation, mechanisation, the Internet of Things (IoT) and biotechnology to improve productivity and competitiveness.
“The agrofood sector plays a key role in the country’s economic and social development, recording a GDP growth rate of 4.19% and contributing 11.52% to the national GDP in 2024,” Bernama quoted him as saying at the same event.
The statement was issued by the Fisheries Department, the organiser of the convention, in collaboration with the Malaysian Society of Agricultural and Food Engineers (MSAE).
Arthur said the government remains committed to strengthening national food security through strategic policies such as the National Food Security Action Plan 2021-2025 and key programmes under the 12th Malaysia Plan.
