VERTICAL FARMING IN SINGAPORE

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2026!

SINGAPORE NEW VERTICAL FARMING farm targeted to produce 500,000 kg of greens annually and maximum capacity to produce annually up to more than 500,000 kg of leafy greens. Production are for the local consumers in Singapore using their Dryponics method. Dryponics keeps the plants alive, with the roots intact, until they reach the consumer. Earlier this year the Singapore-based agri-tech company known as Sustenir made headlines with its lab-grown strawberries and arugula in its hydroponic facility. Now, the startup has just expanded into Hong Kong to start vertical farming in the city, producing two kinds of kale at their Tuen Mun facility. Sustenir’s vertical farming technology presents an alternative to the current food system operating in hot and humid climates like Hong Kong and Singapore. By growing non-native crops in lab-controlled settings, the startup hopes to alleviate dependence on foreign food imports, which generates additional carbon emissions, and food waste in the transportation process.  Blog "Anim Agriculture Technology" report on an article about the vertical farming in Singapore as a new agriculture project fo food production.

The blog writer able to visit a site in Singapore to verify one of kind of vertical farming project in Ang Mo Kio housing area in Singapore recent months. Fresh Vegetable produce sold at SGD5.000 per pack with organic certification on the label (See picture above). However, after its latest round of series A funding in which attracted US$15.4 million in investment from venture capital firms including Grok Ventures and Tamesek Holdings, Sustenir has recently launched a new 30,000 square foot hydroponic farming facility in Tuen Mun, Hong Kong. The produce currently launched in the city include “Kinky Kale” and “Toscano Kale”. The company is also looking to bring in new offerings in the near future, including kale juice and pesto, both of which they sell in Singapore. Commenting on the reasons behind their launch in Hong Kong, co-founder and CEO of Sustenir Benjamin Swan told Green Queen that “Hong Kong has similar constraints to space as Singapore and has a similar reliance to imported produce. Our mission has always been to be present in countries and communities with heavy reliance to imports, so we can produce locally and lessen carbon emissions from import transportation.” The company in which was founded in Singapore in 2013, produces crops that are in local demand using laboratory-controlled vertical farming methods based on artificial intelligence and LED lighting, which helps photosynthesis in plants. Using this technology, the shelf-life of Sustenir’s farmed crops can be extended, which helps to reduce food wastage. In addition, by growing non-native crops in a local facility, the concept minimises the carbon footprint involved in transporting foods, as well as wasted food that often results in the logistical process of importing fresh produce. This is particularly relevant for Hong Kong, where over 90% of the city’s food supplies are imported from abroad, and for the wider Asian region, which is responsible for over half of global waste. To cater to Hong Kong tastes specifically in their first launch outside of Singapore, Swan said to Green Queen: “When we enter a country, we always make sure that we tailor our products to the tastes and wants of the people so we can truly give a product made in Hong Kong for Hong Kong.” Now that their first international foray under their belt, Sustenir hopes to be able to first increase their product offerings in the facility, including growing other leafy greens like lettuce, spinach, arugula and basil, and to continue to launch more urban vertical farms across Asian cities.

Thanks.

By,

M Anim,

Putrjaya,

Malaysia.

(December 2020).

Report updated on 1.1.2026.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2026!

RICE INDUSTRY IN MALAYSIA - AN ANALYSIS (PART 8)

RICE (Oryza sativa) is an important staple food for nearly half the world’s population. In Malaysia, rice and paddy cultivation kickstarted in the early 60s with small-scale farming in which later expanded by leaps and bounds before emerging as the country’s utmost important food crop. Over the decades, Malaysian rice production system has been suffering from various challenges which include extreme weather conditions, poor soil fertility and nutrient management, farmers’ lack of awareness and knowledge, hesitancy against Genetically-Modified planting materials (GMO) and poor deployment of technology. The national rice production and consumption, simply measured as self-sufficiency status staggers in between 67 and 70%. The Southeast Asia region has been an important rice export trader with Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, among the biggest rice-producing nations. Food security, under the context of sustaining international rice trading ties, succumbs to functional fluctuations of global supply chains. During the covid pandemic outbreak the containment period during the outbreak led to significant disruptions to the food production chain. During the early phase of the pandemic, Malaysia experienced a volatile rice import trend, facing difficulty to secure a committed rice trading partner. In this review, we discuss the trajectory of the rice and paddy industry in Malaysia since its inception, lab-to-field translated breeding strategies adopted for rice yield improvement, governmental participation and contribution (approaches, policies and programs) and technologies in use for rice production. Further, relevant cutting-edge technologies, agricultural methods and practices catered for modern Malaysian rice farming, with opportunities to improve and enhance crop health and resilience are included. The review findings inform new rice agricultural practices, suggest research directions toward sustainable rice farming and provide a comprehensive knowledge base to accelerate innovation, technology diffusion and technology adoption for a resilient rice production system in Malaysia.  I published more than 100 article on rice industry in my blog for the past 15 years. This article in "Anim Agriculture Technology" I want to discuss about an analysis of rice industry in Malaysia related to governance and policies, research trends, technology adoption and resilience for readings.

Paddy planting technology improved for higher productivity for more people to consume in years to come. In the future prospective and opportunities toward crop improvement and greater productivity there should more innovation to be done. In Malaysia the rice farmers are mainly older adults in their 50s and 60s and data shows that the young generation (age less than 40 years) participation for paddy cultivation is insignificant as they represent less than 17% of the total farmers group population. Back to the survey shown that the literacy wise in which most farmers aged 60 and above had received up to secondary schooling only. These farmers are comfortable with easy handling tools such as straw cutter, weeding machine and ploughing machine catered at the production level. In general, the utilization of farming tools remains traditional, and no apparent application of high-end technology had been practiced. Since most of these farmers belong to the small-scale rice farming group with low buying power normally as a practice they are highly dependent on the incentives and subsidies provided by the federal government. Hence, only large-scale rice farm owners with higher buying power are keen in purchasing and owning modern equipment such aa teh harvester machine and few others. In the survey by ministry conducted in the MADA rice granary area found that 65% of the total respondent for rice farmers reported as above 51 years old showed positive acceptance to technology despite noting the difficult handling procedure. This may cause the undeniably of the technology carries a toll on the cost of production. As for the precision rice agriculture by agency able to offer various technologies for land such as the levelling systems, seed sowing coupled with conversion rate, yield monitoring and early warning system and fertilization technology package. From my observation eih DOA reports that the technology developed for land levelling technology package and variable rate seedling which costs RM225/ha (USD$50.50) at that time but now increase accordingly in 2023. Some of the paddy farmers with fairly good acceptance to precision technologies but in 2023 the rising cost of production is a big stumbling block crossing into their profit margin especially after Russia-Ukraine War, Palestine -Israel War and pasca covid91 pandemic. Reported for inputs such as chemical fertilizers and pesticide increase up to 150% since 2022 respectively. Please read my article regarding this issue by link to this (Click Here) and (Click Here).

The important of rice as a staple food in Malaysia was a non-sense when the price hike from RM2.60 per kilogram as controlled item to more that doble in middle 2023 (for imported rice). May be Malaysia can never escape from the controversy surrounding the use of chemical fertilizers as it was a global situation. The usage of chemical or inorganic fertilizer is widespread and common for the cost-effective production of agricultural crops. It ensures bountiful harvests at affordable costs but at the expense of human health and our ecosystem. Besides, rice farming is highly polluting since hundreds of millions of tons of rice husk and straw are produced along the cycle. The open burning of these wastes leads to air pollution and emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) mainly due to incomplete combustion. Reported that may be a paradigm shift to a greener agricultural practice is needed to ensure sustainability and clean environment. As the country moves toward developed status, green fertilizers and nanotechnology offer potential solution for sustainable agriculture. The utilization of nanomaterials for precision agriculture will cut on nutrient losses during fertilization and reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides by controlled release of nutrients, fertilizers and pesticides while elevating productivity. Circular economy promotes the shift toward sustainable waste management and hence, to use the waste products of paddy farming, such as the rice husk is commendable since this practice of value creation will indirectly cut on carbon footprint while embracing multiple SDGs. The steering away of chemical fertilizer will ensure not only a cleaner food chain but will put waste material into beneficial agriculture input to enhance productivity.
 

This article discussed a long way ti identify the long history of Malaysian rice industry since farming was established at the pre-independence era. In the 1960’s, soils in Peninsular Malaysia were ranked amongst the most superior quality in terms of organic matter factor. The swampy condition of west coast facilitated accumulation of soil organic matter (SOM). Long standing research on improved rice planting materials are primarily conducted using traditional breeding program. Government policy and support for a productive rice system is most evident through the implementation of Paddy Production Incentive Schemes and Guaranteed Minimum Price standardization under the paddy supply chain. Despite differences in environmental factors, mainly soil fertility, rice domestic trading has been serving equal in both high and low performing rice granaries. Farmers (for more than 50 years old) are the main actors of rice agricultural system; however, technology-enabled farming practices are least observed. On a global perspective, the rice industry in Malaysia fall behind in regard to yield and productivity as a result of unattended or widening gaps in the utilization of Genetically-Modified (GM) planting materials, nano fertilization and technology-driven farming practices. There is an urgent need to understand the GM-hesitancy culture among local farmers and educate them accordingly. Ultimately, farmers are the backbone support for rice research and development activities in Malaysia. It takes two hands to clap. For me maybe it takes effective farmer-researcher communication for meaningful laboratory to farm translational research and acceptance. This article has eight (8) segments for discussion on rice industry in Malaysia related to governance and policies, research trends, technology adoption and resilience for readings. Thanks. Source: NSTP, Anim Agro Technology and frontliners.com respectively...

By,

M Anem,

Putrajaya,

Malaysia.

(Created: November 2023).

Modified: 26 December 2025

RICE INDUSTRY IN MALAYSIA - AN ANALYSIS (PART 7)

RICE (Oryza sativa) is an important staple food for nearly half the world’s population. In Malaysia, rice and paddy cultivation kickstarted in the early 60s with small-scale farming in which later expanded by leaps and bounds before emerging as the country’s utmost important food crop. Over the decades, Malaysian rice production system has been suffering from various challenges which include extreme weather conditions, poor soil fertility and nutrient management, farmers’ lack of awareness and knowledge, hesitancy against Genetically-Modified Planting materials (GMO) and poor deployment of technology. The national rice production and consumption, simply measured as self-sufficiency status staggers in between 67 and 70%. The Southeast Asia region has been an important rice export trader with Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, among the biggest rice-producing nations. Food security, under the context of sustaining international rice trading ties, succumbs to functional fluctuations of global supply chains. During the covid19 pandemic reported that the containment period during the outbreak led to significant disruptions to the food production chain. During the early phase of the pandemic, Malaysia experienced a volatile rice import trend, facing difficulty to secure a committed rice trading partner. In this review, we discuss the trajectory of the rice and paddy industry in Malaysia since its inception, lab-to-field translated breeding strategies adopted for rice yield improvement, governmental participation and contribution (approaches, policies and programs) and technologies in use for rice production. Further, relevant cutting-edge technologies, agricultural methods and practices catered for modern Malaysian rice farming, with opportunities to improve and enhance crop health and resilience are included. The review findings inform new rice agricultural practices, suggest research directions toward sustainable rice farming and provide a comprehensive knowledge base to accelerate innovation, technology diffusion and technology adoption for a resilient rice production system in Malaysia.  I published more than 100 article on rice industry in my blog for the past 15 years. This article in "Anim Agriculture Technology" I want to discuss about an analysis of rice industry in Malaysia related to governance and policies, research trends, technology adoption and resilience for readings.

There are many systems of growing paddy in this world. There are around four methods of cultivating rice known as broadcasting, drilling, transplantation and Japanese method. In some countries rice is mostly grown throughout the year in hot and humid regions. Based on the season and different species normally the life cycle of the rice plant is around 100 to 210 days. The life cycle of rice generally includes the vegetative stage, reproductive stage, and ripening stage. Each stage can be subdivided into more detailed stages. In the vegetative phase of growth there are four stages known as emergence, seedling development, tillering and lastly internode elongation. Similarly, later the reproductive phase of growth is subdivided into five stages known as pre-booting, booting, heading, grain filling and lastly maturity. Back to the topic in which the service models for rice farming in Malaysia are changing. In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or drones have become an important tool for precision agriculture. According to the US-based 1996 Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International in which about 80% of the future drone market is expected to engage in agriculture sector. Drone platform offers opportunities to fetch a wide array of more agronomically important datasets; soil analysis, mapping and detection of outliers, irrigation, spraying and planting of plants. In rice, the above ground biomass which accounts for yield-related traits such as number of panicles, spikelets or grains per panicle, percentage of filled kernels/grains, grain weight and others, cumulatively determine the yield potential of rice at a given growing cycle. Effective monitoring of yield-related traits is particularly important to gain insights into crop growth stability and yield.

From beginning of rice industry until today reported that rice cultivation in Malaysia has a long history of being dominated by small farmers. In general, they can be classified into five different groups based on the land hold area identified bay DOA as marginal size (less than 1 hectare), small farm size (1 - 2 hectare), Semi-medium size (2 - 4 hectare), medium size (4 -10 hectares) and large size or commercial grower's holders (more than 0 hectares). In Malaysia lately as I do know in which the drone technology for agriculture is mainly employed in private sectors especially in granary area. Although the drone industry had established a broad niche of application in agricultural systems (oil palm, mainly) but from my observation that the impact on Malaysian rice farmers is relatively minimal at engagement in sprayer drones solely. Please read my article about the drone in my article (Click Here) for reference. Sprayer drones are used to facilitate timely application of fertilizer, pesticides and other chemicals alike. Professional drone users do not hail from the farmers community. Spray drones are offered as service models and are mostly distributed in the high performing rice granaries in Malaysia (Tanjung Karang, Sekinchan). Since drone technology is gaining attention, paving new directions in modern rice farming, more youngsters are pursuing technical courses which are readily available locally. For example, the My Drone Services offers technical courses (basics for drone user and agriculture pilot drone) on the handling, maintenance and management of drones. Similar courses (professional drone navigator) are also organized at the community college levels (eg. Kolej Komuniti Sabak Bernam, Selangor). On a daily basis reported that an average capacity drone could cover up to 10 hectares of paddy field. The charges are based on area size covered; RM12-20 (USD2.70 - 4.50) for a quarter of a hectare. Some reports with local farmers (Feb 2020) in Tanjung Karang in Selangor found drones were favored for the technology that was fast-spraying efficiency which subsequently improved rice production via mitigation of pest, disease and lodging. This article has eight (8) segments for discussion on rice industry in Malaysia related to governance and policies, research trends, technology adoption and resilience for readings. Thanks. Source: NSTP, Anim Agro Technology and frontliners.com respectively...

By,

M Anem,

Putrajaya,

Malaysia.

(Prepared on November 2023).

Updated by December 2025.

MERRY CHRISTMAS....

RICE INDUSTRY IN MALAYSIA - AN ANALYSIS (PART 6)

RICE (Oryza sativa) is an important staple food for nearly half the world’s population. In Malaysia, rice and paddy cultivation kickstarted in the early 60s with small-scale farming in which later expanded by leaps and bounds before emerging as the country’s utmost important food crop. Over the decades, Malaysian rice production system has been suffering from various challenges which include extreme weather conditions, poor soil fertility and nutrient management, farmers’ lack of awareness and knowledge, hesitancy against genetically-modified planting materials (GMO) and poor deployment of technology. The national rice production and consumption, simply measured as self-sufficiency status staggers in between 67 and 70%. The Southeast Asia region has been an important rice export trader with Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, among the biggest rice-producing nations. Food security, under the context of sustaining international rice trading ties, succumbs to functional fluctuations of global supply chains. During the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, the containment period during the outbreak led to significant disruptions to the food production chain. During the early phase of the pandemic, Malaysia experienced a volatile rice import trend, facing difficulty to secure a committed rice trading partner. In this review, we discuss the trajectory of the rice and paddy industry in Malaysia since its inception, lab-to-field translated breeding strategies adopted for rice yield improvement, governmental participation and contribution (approaches, policies and programs) and technologies in use for rice production. Further, relevant cutting-edge technologies, agricultural methods and practices catered for modern Malaysian rice farming, with opportunities to improve and enhance crop health and resilience are included. The review findings inform new rice agricultural practices, suggest research directions toward sustainable rice farming and provide a comprehensive knowledge base to accelerate innovation, technology diffusion and technology adoption for a resilient rice production system in Malaysia.  I published more than 100 article on rice industry in my blog for the past 15 years. This article in "Anim Agriculture Technology" I want to discuss about an analysis of rice industry in Malaysia related to governance and policies, research trends, technology adoption and resilience for readings.

In paddy industry in which the resilience and soil health known as the key determinant to paddy and rice production include in Malaysia. It was because the rice productivity gain is driven by soil quality. Soil quality variables which include bulk density, organic carbon content, nutrient element content, soil porosity, soil aggregate stability index and others are key determinants of the overall rice growth performance and productivity. As I study previously in general the rice cultivation techniques are diversified crop cultivation pattern which integrates alternative upland crop planting via rotation has long been associated with soil quality improvement. In other case reported that there are no such standard methods of rice planting are practiced in Malaysia accordingly. Rice growing areas in Malaysia are distributed in a wide range of soil types include Organic clay, Brown clay, Jawa Series, Sedu Series, Bakau Series, Bernam Series, Serong Series and others. These soil types from DOA detailed soil report are varies by their unique rhizosphere microbiome and inherent nutrient composition. Reported that in high performing rice granaries such as Sekinchan in Sabak Bernam and Tanjung Karang disricts in which the soils are generally less acidic (pH 4-5) compared to low performing rice granaries (pH more that pH4.0). Reported also the soil acidity level increases with the oxidation of pyrite-bound sediments distributed mainly in the coastal plains of Malaysia. Acid-sulfate soil (ASS) contains pyrite (FeS2) which releases sulfuric acid upon oxidation. It is high in aluminium and iron content and deficit in phosphorus. Pyrite oxidation causes sulfuric acid drainage and dissolves the bioavailable iron for plant uptake. As a result, plant nutrition and subsequent growth and development are adversely affected. Agricultural ASSs are subjected to amelioration with basalt, ground magnesium, limestone and organic compounds as a soil pH corrective measure. Rice granaries distributed on ASS are treated using lime sources such as Ground Magnesium Limestone (GML), hydrated lime and liquid lime accordingly. Liming increases the cost of production as at least 4 mt of GML per ha is required for a decent production of 3.5 - 4.0 mt ha of rice under ASS system. The recommendation from Department of Agriculture known as RICE CHECKS guidance are widely use by more advance farmers in Malaysia. They are the group able to produce higher productivity paddy in granary area. 

Government of Malysia introduced the Malaysian Good Agriculture Practices (MyGAP) as part of the exercise. The sustainable agriculture and food safety are the cores of good agricultural practice (GAP). First mooted by FAO in 2003 this practice not only focuses on preserving the environment but also accounts for the welfare, safety and labour health. In Malaysia reported that the first certification scheme was constructed based on Malaysian Standard MS 1784:2005 Crop Commodities - Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) known as Good Practice Scheme of Malaysia (SALM) was drawn up by Department of Agriculture in 2002 that I was involved at that time in many series of preparation. Under rebranding measure as an early motion in which SALM certification has became MyGAP in 2013 (in which 'My' stand for Malaysia and GAP stand for Good Agriculture Practices). Later the farm that approved their certification after the evaluated process on the aspects of its environmental setting, verification of farm practices and safety of farm products, incorporating traceability and ensuring adequate workers’ welfare within the farm are significantly recognized. As the benchmark for MyGAP is against the international GAP certification scheme, it allows for Malaysian produce to penetrate into the global market and gain better recognition and acceptance. At early stage the numbers for paddy farms adopting this scheme is very low for the farmers being old and used to conventional farm practices are inept in precision farming or precise application of fertilizer inputs but today mthe number of certified MyGAp in Malaysia increase tremdously. The lack of incentive or very little incentive at that time in earlier stage to acquire farming mechanization had derailed the farmers. Based on a study on 80 paddy farmers at that time only 80% of them are practiced unsustainable paddy farming with a score of less than 40.0 on a scale of 0 -100, 2.5% in the range of intermediate sustainability with none of the farmers close to being sustainable. But today there are more alert fares ti gain MyGAP certification scheme especially on granary area. The result is an indication that farmers were not following the Paddy Check guideline and are using excessive fertilizer, pesticide. In other case nowadays farmers are receptive of sustainable agriculture as it compromises on profitability and maximizing productivity. Moreover, the lack of support for the certification was also due to the failure to differentiate myGAP and non-MyGAP rice. At the early stage in which the non-existent reward for good quality and safe rice produced in a sustainable manner had dampened not only the MyGAP practitioners but also discouraged other farmers from adopting the stringent guideline. But all is not doom and gloom later since recently more MyGAP rice grown in KETARA located Terengganu hit the market are successful. 

Good Agricultural Practice (MyGAP) has been introduced as a guide in implementing sustainable agriculture, which concerns the economy, environment, and society in producing high-quality food that is safe to be consumed. The number of paddy farming areas that have been certified with MyGAP is still low. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the challenges of implementing MyGAP among the paddy farmers and proposing relevant actions, using the Sekinchan paddy field as a case study. Qualitative techniques were conducted by observations in the fieldwork and the interviews with eight paddy farmers and two officers from the technical department. By using qualitative content analysis, six challenges associated with the implementation of MyGAP were identified such as (1) complexity of MyGAP certification system, (2) inadequate knowledge, (3) lack of pro-environment behaviour among paddy farmer, (4) ineffective communication, (5) lack of technology and (6) lack of monitoring and enforcement. This paper's suggested relevant recommendation to provide a platform for developing and improving policy and guidelines in MyGAP. From the findings, some recommendations are put forward in the pursuit of MyGAP in Sekinchan. The findings contributed to a better understanding of where attention should be directed, and which recommendations would better impact the implementation of MyGAP among the paddy farmers. In Malaysia, the government implemented free of charge the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification program. However, the number of paddy farming areas that have been certified with MyGAP is still low. For example, in 2014, the number of farmers certified under MyGAP is still small and only increased about 0.3%, which 746 out of a total of 278,628 farmers. Simultaneously, the farm certification scheme is not a new scheme (IADA Barat Laut Selangor, n.d.; Standard Department of Malaysia, 2016). Instead, the concept of MyGAP is a re-branding of the previous certification schemes such as the Malaysian Farm Certification Scheme for Good Agriculture Practice (SALM). In the 11th Malaysia Plan (2015-2020) DOA is reported that until 2014, only 4.6% (3,585 farms out of 77,191 farms) complied with MyGAP (RMK-11, 2015). Most of the previous GAP study focuses mainly on GAP's implementation and effectiveness without discussing the challenges or reasons behind the poor implementation of MyGAP among farmers. Hence, this study investigates the challenges of implementing good agriculture practices (MyGAP) among the paddy farmers and proposing relevant actions, using Sekinchan as a case study. This study's practical contribution is a set of guidelines that have been compiled to identify where attention should be directed, and which recommendations would have a better impact on the implementation of MyGAP certification among the paddy farmers. This article has eight (8) segments for discussion on rice industry in Malaysia related to governance and policies, research trends, technology adoption and resilience for readings. Thanks. Source: NSTP, Anim Agro Technology and frontliners.com respectively...

By,

M Anem,

Putrajaya,

Malaysia.

(November 2023).

Updated December 2025.

RICE INDUSTRY IN MALAYSIA - AN ANALYSIS (PART 5)

RICE (Oryza sativa) is an important staple food for nearly half the world’s population. In Malaysia, rice and paddy cultivation kickstarted in the early 60s with small-scale farming in which later expanded by leaps and bounds before emerging as the country’s utmost important food crop. Over the decades, Malaysian rice production system has been suffering from various challenges which include extreme weather conditions, poor soil fertility and nutrient management, farmers’ lack of awareness and knowledge, hesitancy against genetically-modified plants (GMO) planting materials and poor deployment of technology. The national rice production and consumption, simply measured as self-sufficiency status staggers in between 67 and 70%. The Southeast Asia region has been an important rice export trader with Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, among the biggest rice-producing nations. Food security, under the context of sustaining international rice trading ties, succumbs to functional fluctuations of global supply chains. During the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, the containment period during the outbreak led to significant disruptions to the food production chain. During the early phase of the pandemic, Malaysia experienced a volatile rice import trend, facing difficulty to secure a committed rice trading partner. In this review, we discuss the trajectory of the rice and paddy industry in Malaysia since its inception, lab-to-field translated breeding strategies adopted for rice yield improvement, governmental participation and contribution (approaches, policies and programs) and technologies in use for rice production. Further, relevant cutting-edge technologies, agricultural methods and practices catered for modern Malaysian rice farming, with opportunities to improve and enhance crop health and resilience are included. The review findings inform new rice agricultural practices, suggest research directions toward sustainable rice farming and provide a comprehensive knowledge base to accelerate innovation, technology diffusion and technology adoption for a resilient rice production system in Malaysia.  I published more than 100 article on rice industry in my blog for the past 15 years. This article in "Anim Agriculture Technology" I want to discuss about an analysis of rice industry in Malaysia related to governance and policies, research trends, technology adoption and resilience for readings.

It was a rare case when Universiti Kebangsaan Malysia (UKM) reported as the first in the country to release cross-breed rice varieties by crossing Oryza sativa (MR219 variety) with the wild rice known as Oryza rufipogon by their scientist. I managed to join the launching of this new variety by Minister of Agriculture at that time in Kedah (See photo above). Please read my article about this launchin g and the variety characteristic for this new paddy variety (Click here) for UKMRC2 and UKMRC8 respectively. This variety both UKMRC2 and UKMRC8 are bred through advanced backcrossing techniques. These high-yielding varieties (12 -14 mt/ha) are resistant to blast and are submergence tolerant. Besides high-quality white rice reported that the UKM had successfully released a superior red rice variety that is marketed as Primera (UKMRC9). This was the result of conventional breeding which involved controlled cross-breeding between cultivar MR219 and wild rice O. rufipogon. UKMRC9 is suitable for the consumption of diabetic patients as it has a low glycemic index and high antioxidants. In addition to the three varieties above reported that the University had released three other rice varieties in years to come. In rice industry the more premium paddy variety available in this country are much better for food security reason.  

Paddy planting are seasonal and short-term crop with has an issur on pest and diseases. Pests and diseases such as the rice blast disease, bacterial leaf blight, tungro and brown plant hopper are constant threats to the rice production systems in Malaysia. In many seasons including in2015, 2025 and 2019 reported that an accounting for 43% of total rice disease incidence. Reported that the Blast Disease as the most predominant disease affecting rice cultivation (See photo above) and it was caused by the Pyricularia oryzae. Other problems with paddy was the attack of fungus thet was categorized into two types based on host preference: First known asa cause the foliar blast affects at the rice seedling stage and also the Panicle Blast in which infects the panicle during the reproductive stage. The report from Department of Agriculture Malaysia (DOA) did mention that this disease occurrence, distribution and infestation is weather-driven. The first incidence of blast disease in Peninsular Malaysia was reported by DOA in 1945 following a 70% yield loss observed on Jaya, a susceptible rice variety. Reported that the affected variety include Besides Jaya, Sekencang and Setanjung mostly in granary area. The attack panicle blast which reduced grain filling, panicle breakage and subsequent yield loss. In 2011 the case of this problem of this blast resistant MR219 succumbed to panicle blast in MADA granary while in 2017 DOA also reported that a total of 1,453 ha and 957 ha of rice fields were infected by leaf blast and panicle blast in most granary area respectively. The most infected granary was KADA followed by MADA and IADA BLS. MARDI had since then released new variety for fares such as MR253, MR263, MR269 and MR284 with improved disease resistance. Besides these varieties, MR297 also known as Siraj conferred blast resistant, tungro resistant and BPH moderate resistant. Paddy industry in Malaysia is subjected to various disease and pest attack accordingly.

The Bacterial Leaf Blight disease (BPH) among serius diseasi in Malaysia and caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae is assumed to be the oldest and most important disease in rice history. In my article about this problem was discussed clearly. BPH is characterized with wilting of paddy seedlings and/or yellowing and drying of the leaves. Reported by DOA in which many farmers first encountered BPH in 1980s and until today over the decade there is still no reports of the disease incidence were observed. In the recent years as DOA report, the disease re-emerged and reared its ugly head on at least 12,080 ha of rice fields in Peninsular Malaysia. Similar to blight disease later reported about 30 - 50% potential loss of yield due to bacterial leaf blight (BLB) disease infection (See photo above). The most severe leaf blight disease outbreak in the last 30 years occurred in the paddy field of Sekinchan, Selangor for the year 2016 causing estimated about 50 - 70% loss of yield. During the outbreak reported that most farmers had planted the new variety MR284 that was released just a year ago. In 2017 later report on another type of blight, namely Bacterial Panicle Blast (BPB) caused by patogen known as Burkholderia glumae showed up at Sungai Aceh, Penang and a year later in Kelantan. BPB infected rice plants have upright panicles, florets with darker basal portion of the glumes, and reddish-brown border across the florets. According to reacher at MARDI some granaries in various states in Peninsular Malaysia have recorded up to 50% losses due to BPB. As for Sheath Blight Disease (ShB) that was caused by Rhizoctonia solani is the soilborne necrotrophic fungal causative agent that is responsible for yield loss of up to 45%. The symptoms are the formation of lesions on the sheath leading to softness and lodging of the sheath and inhibition of grain filling.

DOA has a monitoring and surveillance system tfor this issue respectively. DOA report that besides blast and blight, the rice plants have always been prone to tungro disease (Penyakit virus merah) that is transmitted by green leafhopper known as Nephotettix virescens. (See aboved photo). The disease results from an infection by two distinct viruses, Rice tungro bacilliform virus (RTBV) and Rice tungro spherical virus (RTSV). Although the symptoms of yellow-orange leaf discoloration, plant stunting and reduced yield were recognized since 1934, but its viral nature only came to light in 1965. Despite the significance of tungro disease, very little work has gone into understanding it except for the first genome sequencing of RTBV undertaken in 1999. Annually almost USD1.5 billion is lost worldwide while in Asia about 10% of loss in rice yield had been attributed to this disease). Besides green planthopper, the brown planthopper has been a constant menace. Nilaparvata lugens causes the notorious brown plant hopper (BPH) disease that is touted to cause a loss of 90,000 ton/season which is valued at about RM 72 million. BPH directly feed on rice plants and transmits the grassy stunt disease. As for Brown Spot Disease however the causal agent is known as Bipolaris oryzae or Cochliobolus miyabeanus). It affects direct seeded rice plants and could potentially lead to 90% yield loss if water supply is scarce or limited and there is an inadequate supply of nitrogen. Although brown spot is commonly observed on the leaves and glumes (grain husks) it could also affect other plant parts, namely leaf, coleoptile, sheaths, panicle branches and grain. According to the report later the pathogen causes brown to dark brown lesions on panicle stalk at the joint of flag leaf to stalk. As the disease progresses, the pathogen retards plant growth, forms visible grain discoloration, reduces the number of grains per panicle and grain weight, and increases the number of empty grains. The management approach is cultural practices and use of chemical but often times it fails to combat the disease at the bud. It is imperative to use disease resistant rice varieties as host resistance is the best strategy to cut yield losses and ensure the sustainability of rice and paddy industry. Additionally, the use of certified quality seeds is mandatory to curb yield losses. This article has eight (8) segments for discussion on rice industry in Malaysia related to governance and policies, research trends, technology adoption and resilience for readings. Thanks. Source: NSTP, Anim Agro Technology and frontliners.com respectively.

By,

M Anem,

Putrajaya,

Malaysia.

(November 2023).

Updated by Dec 2025.

RICE INDUSTRY IN MALAYSIA - AN ANALYSIS (PART 4)

RICE (Oryza sativa) is an important staple food for nearly half the world’s population. In Malaysia, rice and paddy cultivation kickstarted in the early 60s with small-scale farming in which later expanded by leaps and bounds before emerging as the country’s utmost important food crop. Over the decades, Malaysian rice production system has been suffering from various challenges which include extreme weather conditions, poor soil fertility and nutrient management, farmers’ lack of awareness and knowledge, hesitancy against genetically-modified crop (GMO) planting materials and poor deployment of technology. The national rice production and consumption, simply measured as self-sufficiency status staggers in between 67 and 70%. The Southeast Asia region has been an important rice export trader with Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, among the biggest rice-producing nations. Food security, under the context of sustaining international rice trading ties, succumbs to functional fluctuations of global supply chains. During the COVID-19 pandemic reported that the containment period during the outbreak led to significant disruptions to the food production chain. During the early phase of the pandemic, Malaysia experienced a volatile rice import trend, facing difficulty to secure a committed rice trading partner. In this review, we discuss the trajectory of the rice and paddy industry in Malaysia since its inception, lab-to-field translated breeding strategies adopted for rice yield for more variety improvement, governmental participation and their contribution (approaches, policies and programs) and many technologies in use for rice production. Further, relevant cutting-edge technologies, agricultural methods and practices catered for modern Malaysian rice farming, with opportunities to improve and enhance crop health and resilience are included. The review findings inform new rice agricultural practices, suggest research directions toward sustainable rice farming and provide a comprehensive knowledge base to accelerate innovation, technology diffusion and technology adoption for a resilient rice production system in Malaysia.  I published more than 100 article on rice industry in my blog for the past 15 years. This article in "Anim Agriculture Technology" I want to discuss about an analysis of rice industry in Malaysia related to governance and policies, research trends, technology adoption and resilience for readings.

The most planted paddy variety grown by farmers depend on many factors and variety duration sustainability. reported during early years of paddy commercialization ini Malaysia the early variety such as Malinja, Mahsuri and Bahagia were at time released by DOA before the establishment of MARDI were bred under the International Rice Commission program that time. Selection of genotypes was done in farmers’ field and progressed further at the Rice Research Centre in Cuttack in India respectively in which the crossing and breeding of the F1 generation. The phenotypic evaluation of the F2 - F7 generations was conducted in Malaysia before the varieties were released. Since transplanting and harvesting were done manually, these varieties were tall (ease the shattering process) and showed a total of 140 average days to reach maturity. Today problem such as lodging was a serious concern among the local farmers. MARDI embarked on some breeding for shorter varieties with an average culm height of 100 -115 cm. Besides lodging reported that a host of plant diseases started cropping up such as with blast, bacterial leaf blight, tungro and brown planthopper, to name a few. In 1979, the most preferred rice varieties, both Malinja and Mahsuri severely succumbed to panicle blast. In response to the undesirable yield lost, MARDI released the first blast resistant variety (Sekencang or MR7) against P. oryzae. Later on various other blast resistant varieties emerged as preferred planting materials among the local farmers namely, MR 232, MR 253 and MR 263. These varieties were superior than the previously released varieties and were high yielding too. From 1990 to 2006, the focus of research and development activities shifted into selecting semi dwarf plants with an average culm height of 60 - 90 cm. The ultimate goal was to limit lodging with shorter plants. Reported that variety MR84 and MR219 with satisfying plant height and yield potential of 6 - 8 t/ha were released as very popular variety grown in Malaysia. For the record as long as from 1984 till 2002 in which about 97% of rice granaries in Malaysia were planted with MR84. After which paddy variety known as MR84 was displaced by MR219 which then gained preference as popular planting variety among local farmers, and it was reigning for over last 20 years. Over time reported that rice breeding strategies gained significant momentum as evident through manipulation of various traits of interest: erect leaves, erect tillers, low tillering capacity, high germination rate, shorter plant height, better rooting structure and panicle-weight type rather than panicle-number type. Among the white rice varieties, the following were successfully bred as part of the high yielding rice production system such as MR253, MR263, MR269, MR284, MR303. Few of these varieties were able to grow on marginal land, and conferred foliar and panicle blast resistant.

Later in 1999 an aromatic rice MRQ50 was released to expand the rice niche market which was dominated by white rice. Progressing down the road, Mas Wangi (MRQ74) in which it resembled premium rice known as Basmathi ant itwas released thereafter. Comparatively variety known as Mas Wangi displayed a much lower glycemic index and high GABA content than MRQ50. On the other hand MRQ76 (released in 2012) was akin to Jasmine rice. The pioneering glutinous rice varieties were Masria and Pulut Malaysia1 which were released in the 1970s whereas PH9 released in 1990 remained as the only black glutinous rice released in Malaysia. For me during that period knows that while most varieties focused on disease resistance and high yielding, two Clearfield rice varieties namely MR220CL1 and MR220CL2 were released in 2010 to address weedy rice introgression. Clearfield rice varieties were tolerant to the toxic herbicide (imidazolinone) and displayed high yield at 6–9.5 ton/ha. Next, to address the issue of water shortage, an aerobic rice variety, MRIA1 that consume 50% less water was released. While all the rice varieties released by MARDI were pure inbred lines that were initially crossed with two or more different varieties followed by selection of self-pollinating generations till uniform population plants are produced, hybrid rice is basically the F1 progeny. The first 100% local hybrid rice Kadaria 1 developed based on cytoplasmic male sterility was the result of 7–8 years of intensive research and 21 seasons of multi-location trials. F1 progenies display heterosis or hybrid vigor whereby a cross of two very genetically distant parents will produce offsprings that are far superior especially in yield. Reported in which during trials this hybrid rice was capable of producing 15 - 20% more rice in moderately fertile granaries. In a pioneering trial at KADA, Kadaria (MR27) are managed to double the production, from 4 ton/ha to 8 ton/ha. It was predicted that this hybrid rice could yield up to 10 ton/ha in BLS granary.

While MARDI was mandated to lead the national rice breeding R&D, a couple of public universities joined the initiative to secure food security through the generous funding support offered by MOSTI and MOHE. Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) through funding from LRGS for Food Security released 2 rice varieties, namely PadiU Putra 1 and PadiU Putra 2 in 2017. The former is resistant to blast disease and has a yield potential of 12 mtn/ha. It is the product of marker-assisted backcross breeding whereby broad-spectrum blast resistance genes (Piz, Pi2 and Pi9) were introgressed from local resistant rice variety (Pongsu Seribu 1) into high-yielding but highly blast-susceptible (MR219). The rice cultivar MR219 was used as the recurrent parent, and Pongsu Seribu 1 was used as the donor. As for PadiU Putra 2, a submergence-tolerant rice variety which could withstand flood, it was developed through marker-assisted backcrossing method. MR219 was used as the recurrent parent while Swarna-Sub1 which possessed the trait for submergence tolerance was the donor; Sub1 gene is the gene for submergence tolerance. This article has eight (8) segments for discussion on rice industry in Malaysia related to governance and policies, research trends, technology adoption and resilience for readings. Thanks. Source: NSTP, blog Anim Agro Technology and frontliners.com respectively.

By,

M Anem,

Putrajaya,

Malaysia.

(November 2023).

Updated by November 2025.

RICE INDUSTRY IN MALAYSIA - AN ANALYSIS (PART 3)

RICE (Oryza sativa) is an important staple food for nearly half the world’s population. In Malaysia, rice and paddy cultivation kickstarted in the early 60s with small-scale farming in which later expanded by leaps and bounds before emerging as the country’s utmost important food crop. Over the decades, Malaysian rice production system has been suffering from various challenges which include extreme weather conditions, poor soil fertility and nutrient management, farmers’ lack of awareness and knowledge, hesitancy against genetically modified planting materials and poor deployment of technology. The national rice production and consumption, simply measured as self-sufficiency status staggers in between 67 and 70%. The Southeast Asia region has been an important rice export trader with Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, among the biggest rice-producing nations. Food security, under the context of sustaining international rice trading ties, succumbs to functional fluctuations of global supply chains. During the COVID-19 pandemic reported that the containment period during the outbreak led to significant disruptions to the food production chain. During the early phase of the pandemic, Malaysia experienced a volatile rice import trend, facing difficulty to secure a committed rice trading partner. In this review, we discuss the trajectory of the rice and paddy industry in Malaysia since its inception, lab-to-field translated breeding strategies adopted for improvement rice yield production, governmental participation and contribution (approaches, policies and programs) and technologies in use for rice production. Anyhow the relevant such as cutting-edge technologies, agricultural methods and practices catered for modern Malaysian rice farming, with opportunities to improve and enhance crop health and resilience are included. The review findings inform new rice agricultural practices, suggest research directions toward sustainable rice farming and provide a comprehensive knowledge base to accelerate innovation, technology diffusion and technology adoption for a resilient rice production system in Malaysia. I published more than 100 article on rice industry in my blog for the past 15 years. This article in "Anim Agriculture Technology" I want to discuss about an analysis of rice industry in Malaysia related to governance and policies, research trends, technology adoption and resilience for readings.

The rice industry in Malaysia and rice farming in Malaysia designed for their incentives, subsidies and pricing or market interventions for many years by government. at that time in which BERNAS acts as the buyer of last resort by procuring paddy from farmers at a GMP of RM1200/tonne. Farmers receive a subsidy of RM248.10 for every tonne of paddy that is harvested (unhusked rice grain), in addition to another RM650 per metric tonne, granted as a revenue incentive with at least a 1 % yield increase from the base season. Later for the input subsidies local farmers get RM200/hectare for their pesticide purchases through Pertubuhan Peladang Kawasan (PPK) to implement. Also, most farmers also receive 240 kg/ha of so-called compound fertilizer and 80 kg/ha of urea fertilizer per hectare and 100 kg/ha of organic fertilizer for cultivated rice (See photo above). Apart from those incentives such as the ploughing aid is paid at the rate of RM240/ ha. These aids are a huge relief for the farmers as the average cost of production is about RM3024/hectare. The calculated for the cost of padi production (COP) covers land rent, machinery, input cost and labour. MOA reported that in 2019 the total cost of land rental and machinery is more than 30% of the total input cost which significantly affects the COP in each granary. These two variables have continuously shown increments over the years. Then in 2020 later the National Farmers Organisation (NAFAS) was appointed as the sole distributor for the Certified Paddy Seed Incentive to ensure farmers are not short-changed by the nine seed suppliers in the country. The ceiling price was set at RM35 per 20 kg of rice seeds to overcome price manipulation. Additionally, to cater for low-income households, the maximum retail prices of 15, 10 and 5% of broken rice were capped at RM1.80, RM2.40 and RM2.60 per kilogram and this issue appeared recently in 2023 with not enough supply of paddy seeds. There are rumors that few paddy seed farmers or growers sell their seeds to rice mill claimed as imported rice with more expensive the local paddy and due to pest and diseases occurred.

Research activity for rice industry in Malaysia ha a long story.

Before the 1960s most paddy farming was relatively traditional as the operation was heavily reliant on human labour and the use of buffaloes for ploughing. The large-scale rice cultivation in Malaysia with the first double-cropping variety known as Padi Malinja was released in 1964 which replaced single-cropping rice varieties such as Nachin 5,057 and Serendah Kuning. The traditional rice varieties were low yielding (1.4 mt/ha) and hence necessitated a shift to double cropping varieties with improved yield. Development and breeding of rice varieties formally began in the 1970s with the activity of establishment of the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI). Nevertheless, the national rice breeding programs under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture had released four rice varieties before the transfer of mandate such as variety Malinja, Mahsuri, Ria and Bahagia. The average yield of these varieties was 2.47 t/ha, double the yield of traditional varieties. Malinja and Mahsuri were part of the largest japonica-indica rice hybridization project that aimed to enhance the yield component and fertilizer response in indica varieties via the integration of japonica’s inherent adaptive traits to local cultural conditions, diseases, and insects. Please read my article on most paddy varieties introduced and grown in Malaysia as linked (Click here) and (Click here). The longest paddy variety groen in Malaysia are known as MR219, MR220 and MR27.

In history reported that in 1950s most Asia country was on the brink of famine and in response to global food security later International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) actively embarked on a mission to develop high-yielding rice varieties (HYVs) in the 1960s. Various crosses between tall and dwarf rice planting materials were accomplished. Amongst which was the dwarf x tall variety cross between Dee-geo-woo-gen (dwarf variety from Taiwan) and Peta (tall variety from Indonesia). The discovery of a single recessive gene for shortness (sd-1) in the segregating F2 population led to the development of IR8-288-3 rice variety, after successful multi-location trials in the country such as the Philippines, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, and Taiwan. The IR8 rice variety officially released in 1966 was touted as miracle rice as it kick-started Green Revolution in rice. Before the release of IR8 reported that it was Dr. De Datta as an agronomist expert from India who chanced upon the possibility of maximizing yield by examining the fertilizer response of IR8 under dry season. The average rice yield came up to about 9.4 - 10.5 mtn/ha in which was 50% more than untreated IR8. Dr. Datta’s findings paved the route and laid a significant foundation for IR8 utilization as a prototype in the development of unique national rice varieties in Malaysia, Myanmar, Mexico, Indonesia and many other countries alike. In Malaysia, the Ria rice variety that was released by DOA in 1966 was based on IR8 which underwent massive rebranding. Later in Malaysia, rice cultivation with IR8 did not sustain long. Farmers refused and rejected to pursue IR8 as the major planting material in their fields due to its poor adaptability and rice quality. Though anticipated to bring sheer joy, the IR8 cultivation turned into unprecedented shocks. As a result, farmers switched back to the use of old varieties (Mahsuri) that offered the promised rice quality and profitable cost of production. Among other reasons that led to IR8 planting hesitancy among local farmers in Malaysia were high seed and labour costs, poor taste and low rice quality. These factors collectively affected the selling price apart other additional requirements such as precise field conditions as opposed to the existing natural conditions. Then came another HYV known as IR5 (Bahagia) which had a similar yield to IR8 but exhibited better taste, was long-grained, required less seed and labour inputs, was easier to harvest and thresh and most importantly could be grown on existing field conditions. The drawing board of breeders began scouting for locally adaptive parent planting materials for the development of HYV with better grain quality; Setanjung, Sekencang and Sekembang. This article has eight (8) segments for discussion on rice industry in Malaysia related to governance and policies, research trends, technology adoption and resilience for readings. Thanks. Source: NSTP, Anim Agro Technology and frontliners.com respectively.

By,

M Anem,

Putrajaya,

Malaysia.

(November 2023).

Updated this article in Nov 2025.