KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute is conducting research to develop maize seed varieties better suited to local climate conditions.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup said this initiative aims to reduce the country’s reliance on imported animal feed ingredients.
He explained that Malaysia needs seed varieties adapted to higher rainfall and specific soil moisture conditions different from other producing countries.
Arthur provided this information during the Dewan Rakyat question-and-answer session in response to Bakri Jamaluddin’s query about import reduction efforts.
The government signed a Memorandum of Understanding last year with several government-linked companies to implement large-scale maize cultivation.
These partners include FGV Holdings Berhad and Genting Plantations Berhad among other GLCs and GLICs.
Authorities have identified 15,375 hectares of land nationwide for this maize cultivation initiative.
Ten state governments have expressed readiness to develop maize cultivation as part of this national effort.
The participating states are Perlis, Perak, Kedah, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Kelantan, Terengganu, Sabah, and Sarawak.
The ministry has allocated one million ringgit under the Food Security Strengthening Programme for livestock infrastructure development.
This funding supports agricultural inputs, machinery, and equipment specifically for livestock grass cultivation projects. – Bernama
