SEKINCHAN: The Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (MOSTI) intends to boost the quota of NMR 152 rice seeds, which is deemed to be currently insufficient.

Its minister, Chang Lih Kang (pix) said its annual quota was currently only in the tens of thousands of metric tons throughout the nation and that there was high demand from farmers, especially in Selangor and Perak.

“The farmers choose the seeds as the rice is high yield, as well as resistant to disease, extreme weather, drought and floods.

“As such, the ministry intends to boost its production quota by 30 per cent in each state compared to the current 10 to 20 per cent,” he told reporters after a working visit to the NMR 152 rice seed research project site in Kampung Sungai Leman here today, adding that the seeds are capable of producing yields of up to 10 tons a hectare compared to the average six tons a hectare for other types of rice.

Chang said the ministry would discuss the seed issue with the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry as the main problem with it was its production quota.

“The production isn’t that quick and we need to intensify efforts to overcome this problem with the help of the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry,” he added.

The NMR 152 rice seed is the result of 15 years of research by the Malaysian Nuclear Agency under MOSTI using the application of nuclear technology and strict screening, along with the selection of specific strains according to the National Certified Rice Seed Production guidelines. – Bernama

Published Date: February 25, 2024