Agriculture and Food Security Ministry is exploring potential areas in Sabah and Sarawak to be developed as national “jelapang padi” (rice bowl area), aiming to boost the country’s rice production, said its minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu in the Dewan Rakyat on Oct 21.
WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news
SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar
LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline
WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news
SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar
LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00...to meet the needs of rice suppliers.
00:04The most well-known sources are Thailand, Vietnam, India, Pakistan and Myanmar.
00:11As of October 2024, the total number of rice stocks, including stockpile,
00:181.1 million metric tons, is enough for 5.6 months.
00:26Our country's staple food is still rice.
00:31That's why when there's a shortage of meat,
00:36the people don't complain because they have alternatives
00:40to eat fish, chicken, eggs or other food.
00:46But they can't eat rice.
00:48That's why rice is a serious problem.
00:51It used to be LPN, but now it's BERNAS.
00:57I don't know what BERNAS will be replaced with in the future.
01:00It's a serious problem because in Malaysia,
01:06the people eat rice and those who come to work here,
01:11between 2-3 million people, eat rice.
01:15That's why we have to grow rice, even though it's slow.
01:18But we have to work hard to get enough rice.
01:21Alternative food, such as corn,
01:26doesn't reach the people's needs in terms of eating rice.
01:31That's why rice is a serious problem.
01:34And right now, we're trying to stop the SBB,
01:38but disasters keep coming.
01:40We can't just give up.
01:42For example, Sarawak is proposing to build a second rice field.
01:49With the initial proposal, they'll give us 500 million.
01:53But we have to depend on Semenanyong,
01:57and in the long run, it won't be enough.
02:00That's why we have to work hard in Sarawak and Sabah.
02:05This is what we're hoping for.
02:06We have to grow rice in RMK.
02:08Because rice is still a problem for Malaysians,
02:13even though they try to eat two pieces of fried noodles,
02:17but they don't eat rice either.
02:19That's why they don't eat rice.
02:21To change the way Malaysians eat rice,
02:25for now, it has to be slow.
02:28It still depends on rice.
02:38For more UN videos visit www.un.org