Malaysia has ‘the ability to be self-sufficient’

PETALING JAYA: There is no reason for Malaysia to import rice from other countries as it has the ability to be self-sufficient, said an expert.

“The country already has hybrid technology and more than enough land to produce rice to meet internal demand,” said Tan Teow Choon, who is the CEO of a biotechnology company involved in the research and development of hybrid rice varieties.

He said the Government should encourage farmers to plant hybrid seeds as this would not only double their yield but their income as well.

The use of hybrid seeds, he said, could produce up to 30% more padi compared to the commonly used inbred line seeds.

“We can easily increase the yield by using this technology. We will no longer have to depend on other countries for rice,” he said.

Tan said although hybrid seeds were more expensive compared to inbred seeds, the revenue from the increased yield could easily cover the additional cost.

About 90% of the country’s padi farmers were planting the same kind of rice, which was the MR 219 variety, he added.

“This is very dangerous because if there is any disease affecting the variety, the country’s entire crop will be destroyed,” he said, adding that it was important for the Government to look into having several rice varieties planted to avoid such a situation.

He said hybrid seeds were also more resistant to common pests and diseases.

The “Siraj Hybrid” rice variety, which recently became the first hybrid seed to be approved by the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, has only been planted in about 150ha of the country’s estimated 650,000ha of padi fields.

He said the Government should seriously look at hybrid seeds as the future of the country’s rice industry because the price of the commodity was expected to continue to rise.