By Bernama

PUTRAJAYA (Oct 9): The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security will establish the separation of powers among relevant agencies, and introduce new regulations to strengthen the country’s paddy and rice sector.

Its Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, who is known as Mat Sabu, said the separation of powers would involve the paddy industry development division, rice regulatory division, and government representatives in Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas).

“We are separating those involved in the paddy industry, so that there will be no accusations that an unit head is ‘wearing one hat for two tasks’. This time, it will be ‘two hats for two tasks’, and this decision was made after an extensive and lengthy engagement with all parties.

“Currently, paddy and rice development, and the enforcement division are under one director. Now, they are going to be separated,” he said at a press conference after the ministry’s monthly assembly here on Wednesday.

On the new regulations, he said a circular prohibiting the mixing of local white rice with imported white rice will be introduced, with the circular expected to be issued soon.

Mohamad said his ministry had also introduced a new calculation basis for the country’s self-sufficiency rate (SSR) and per capita consumption (PCC) of rice, in line with the standards set by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, starting from this year.

“Through this new method, the ministry determined the calculation basis for paddy production in 2023 by only taking into account the amount of clean paddy to be processed into rice,” he said, adding that the calculation does not include the amount of paddy set aside for seed purposes for the same year.

With the adjustment to the methodology for calculating the SSR and PCC of rice using the new method in 2023, the country’s SSR for rice stood at 56.2%, slightly lower compared with 57.9% in 2022.

“A more detailed announcement regarding the new calculation method for the country’s SSR of rice will be made on Friday,” he said.

Commenting on Sarawak’s commitment to the paddy industry, he said the state is allocating RM500 million to increase paddy and rice production, which should be emulated by other states.

“This is because the effort to increase the country’s SSR of rice is not solely the ministry’s responsibility. We also require strong support and cooperation from all parties,” he said.

In July, Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg announced that RM500 million had been approved for a paddy irrigation scheme in 2025, with allocations for paddy planting areas in Sri Aman, Kuching, and Samarahan.

In another development, Mohamad said his ministry is also focusing on increasing the SSR of meat, which is still below 20%, as the country is still reliant on imported meat from several countries.

He said a special committee, chaired by ministry secretary general Datuk Seri Isham Ishak, would be formed to address the matter, with a strategic plan expected to be formulated by the first quarter of 2025 to improve the country’s SSR of meat.

On Budget 2025, Mohamad said his ministry had submitted 32 proposals to the Ministry of Finance to strengthen food supply chain management, in order to ensure a more organised and structured supply for all levels of society.

Published Date: October 9, 2024