NEW projects to grow food using idle government land can reduce food imports if they are executed properly, says an agriculture policy expert.
Fellow Consultant at Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Laboratory of Agricultural and Food Policy Studies Prof Datin Paduka Dr Fatimah Mohamed Arshad said investments from public and private partners would be necessary to carry out the projects.
Prof Fatimah says incentives for the digitalisation of agriculture and food sectors are missing.
This involved 3,561ha of idle land nationwide owned by regional development boards and their associated agencies, she said.
“The hiring of labour, preparation of soil and deployment of tech are some of the challenges just to prepare the land, and the initial cost will be high.
“It is important to find the right model, such as involving entrepreneurs and private farmers,” Prof Fatimah said following the announcement to enhance food security under Budget 2025.
When announcing the initiative, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had said that the projects could include group-based farming as well as rearing organic chicken and cattle.
He also said RM300mil would be allocated for food growing projects with state governments to reduce dependence on imported produce.
This included supporting onion production in Perak, red tilapia farming in Pahang and planting rice in Negri Sembilan.
A total of RM100mil would also be allocated to encourage smallholders to replant oil palm trees.
Prof Fatimah, however, said she expected more from the budget when it came to boosting food production.
“What is missing are the incentives for the digitalisation of Malaysian agriculture and food sectors, which is important for us to establish technology-smart and climate-smart agriculture.
“For example, encouraging startups to develop applications and technology in agriculture is an important agenda to become resilient to climate change,” she said.
