SEREMBAN: About 2,000 hectares of idle land in the state will be planted with padi as part of a long term plan to increase the country's rice production.

"The Agriculture Department has been asked to look into this and we will come up with a blueprint soon," Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said yesterday.

"At one time, we had 14,000 ha of padi fields, but now we only have 1,100 ha.

"A large portion has been converted for other agricultural use, like growing fruits and vegetables. However, there is still about 2,000 ha of idle land, especially in Jelebu, Kuala Pilah and Tampin."

He was speaking to reporters after handing out aid to farmers whose farms were damaged by floods last year.
Mohamad said a lot of land was left idle in the state when young people moved to the towns to seek employment and the older generation was no longer able to work the fields.

Nevertheless, he felt that the problem of manpower shortage could be overcome.