RICE IN MALAYSIA - STATISTIC (Part 2)

Rice in Malaysia are important comodities grown by rural farmers. With input subsidies, MADA farmers are as competitive as key rice growing regions in Thailand, the Philippines, China and Indonesia. However, the removal of subsidies would result in the net profit of MADA to be lower than the key rice growing regions in the countries mentioned. These shortcomings may be attributed to issues within and between segments of the supply chain. These issues include the slow release of new paddy varieties, weak farm extension programmes and poor farm management practices. There is also the tendency to focus on protecting the largest stakeholders: consumers (31 million) and paddy farmers (approximately about 200,000), neglecting the interests of the other stakeholders in the industry. The matter is compounded by distrust amongst stakeholders, resulting in disconnections within the supply chain. There are also data transparency, reliability and frequency issues, leading to delayed policy and private sector responses to changes in the industry. The following are some suggestions for the industry: Shift away from production-centric, self-sufficiency targets6. At 60 - 70% SSL, we have attained a certain level of production capacity. Thus, it is timely to review our agricultural strategies. It is also not sufficient to use rice SSL as a proxy for food security because food security is multidimensional.

In fact, when other factors of food security were considered, Malaysia performed better compared to rice exporting countries in Southeast Asia. This suggests that the country’s ability to produce rice (and other food), does not equate to being food secure as other factors (quality, safety and sustainable practices) should also be considered. Apart from increasing production measured in volumes, a suggestion is to include other indicators such as the adoption of Good Agricultural Practices (MyGap), Good Manufacturing Practices and transparency when evaluating the industry’s performance. Strengthen the supply chain with traceable, accessible and real-time data7. Such can be achieved through Information and Communication Technology (ICT) applications such as Blockchain, established by a team comprising representatives from each segment of the supply chain and technical specialists.  Source:www.krininstitute.org.

By,
M Anem,
Senior Agronomist,
Taman Cendana, Bukit Beruang,
Melaka, MAlaysia.
(30 Syaaban 1440H).
Posted from,
Room 908, Amara Hotel Singapore,
165, Tanjung Pagar Road,
Singapore.