KUALA LUMPUR: The government plans to increase rice production to 75 per cent self-sufficiency level by 2025, through the SMART Large-Scale Padi Fields (SMART SBB) initiative to ensure the country's self-sufficiency ratio (SSR) can meet domestic demand through local production.
Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Chan Foong Hin said the initiative will be done through a pilot project, the Sekinchan Mini model, on rice planting for five seasons within two years.
"The main focus of implementing the SMART SBB programme is to ensure the SSR for local rice production reaches 75 per cent by 2025 and 80 per cent by 2030.
"The ministry will also continue to monitor the supply status of eight main food commodities, which are rice, vegetables, fruits, chicken or duck meat, chicken or duck eggs, beef, fresh milk as well as fish," he said during the minister's question time in Dewan Rakyat, today.
Chan said this in response to Datuk Mohd Isam Mohd Isa (BN-Tampin) on the type of crops and livestock focused on improving the country's self-sufficiency level (SSL) to enhance food security and reduce dependence on food imports.
Meanwhile, he added that beef or buffalo meat will be increased to 50 per cent (111,000 metric tonnes) and an SSR of 30 per cent for goat or lamb meat (14,200 metric tonnes) within five years through the National Meat Industry Development Strategic Plan 2021 to 2025.
"The plan has also been launched with the target of adding 20 million litres of fresh milk to achieve 100 per cent of SSR by 2025."
He also noted the SSR recorded for the country's main commodities last year, such as for rice stood at 62.6 per cent; vegetables (44.7 per cent); fruits (78.1 per cent); beef (14.7 per cent); chicken or duck meat (94.4 per cent); chicken or duck eggs (108.9 per cent); fresh milk (57.3 per cent) and fish (90.2 per cent).
At the same time, Chan added that the ministry was also increasing its efforts to reduce the stigma among the younger generation towards the agriculture sector, adding that among the strategies being implemented is the Young Agropreneur Programme under the ministry.
He added that the programme, under the ministry, will also encourage the involvement of young individuals by providing them with RM20,000 for each participant.
"A total of 96 young farmers received assistance amounting to RM1.92 million in 2021, while 77 young farmers received a total of RM1.54 million in assistance in 2022," he said.