Mohd Uzir (far left) being briefed on the use of drones by rice farmers in Kedah. Public coorporation is crucial to portray the current state of rice cultivation activities.
KOTA SETAR: The findings from the 2024 Agriculture Census will serve as a primary input in managing and advancing rice cultivation activities in Kedah.
Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) chief statistician and census commissioner Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said on Aug 2 that accurate and detailed information from various aspects such as land management, financial planning, yield optimisation, mechanisation usage and farmer training can be addressed more effectively.
By leveraging the data and information from the census, farmers can increase productivity, reduce risks and maximise their rice yields.
Therefore, public cooperation in providing information to DOSM is crucial to portray the current state of rice cultivation activities, particularly in Kedah.
Mohd Uzir was at a 2024 Agriculture Census fieldwork programme conducted at Kampung Masjid, Kubang Rotan with Muda Agricultural Development Authority (Mada) general manager Kamarudin Dahuli to meet rice farmers and Saez Maju Enterprise owner Sayadid Saffie, who is also a Mada agriculture service provider.
Also present was Kedah deputy commissioner (technical) Nadia Marzuki.
According to the state’s gross domestic product (GDP) report, Kedah’s economy grew by 1.6% last year, with an added value of RM51.8bil compared to RM51.0bil in the previous year.
The state’s economic composition last year was driven by the services sector which contributed to 56.2% to the state’s economy.
This was followed by the manufacturing and agriculture sectors, contributing 29.2% and 10.7%, respectively.
Construction recorded a 3% contribution, followed by a 0.2% contribution from mining and quarrying.
Kedah’s agriculture sector contracted by 2.8%, with an added value of RM5.5bil, influenced by declines in the fisheries and crops (rubber and rice) subsectors.
Livestock, however, managed to offset some of the sector’s decline.
Nevertheless, the state has the country’s largest planted area for rice cultivation in 2022, with 213,700ha, followed by Sarawak (77,700ha), Perak (74,600ha) and Kelantan (74,000ha).
Kedah’s rice production was recorded at 834,900mt, the highest among all states in Malaysia.
It contributes 41.2% in rice production for Peninsular Malaysia and 36.6% for the country in total.
The Agriculture Census provides baseline data on agricultural holdings’ profiles, including demographic information, agricultural output, input costs, farm size, land use and ownership, mechanisation and technology usage.
These statistics can be used to formulate short-term and long-term policies and programmes, enhance food security, increase productivity and promote sustainable agriculture.
It is hoped that this year’s census will assist the Government assess the stability of the country’s rice supply in meeting domestic needs and reducing reliance on imports.
It is currently being conducted by DOSM and has now entered its 27th day since its inception on July 7 nationwide and covers crops, livestock, fisheries and aquaculture, and forestry and logging.
A total of 672,200 residential places (TK) were recorded in Kedah this year, with 81,780 being involved in the surveyed agricultural activities. A further 1,124 business entities will be surveyed.
As of Aug 1, 28,008 TKs were visited, with 19,668 being fully surveyed.
With the theme “2024 Agriculture Census, the key to agricultural advancement”, the census results should lay a strong foundation for policy formulation in agriculture and be used to benchmark and align existing agricultural statistics.
In this regard, Mohd Uzir emphasised that DOSM greatly anticipates the cooperation of all respondents in making the 2024 Agriculture Census a success.
For more on the 2024 Agriculture Census, visit www.myagricensus.gov.my
DOSM launched OpenDOSM NextGen as a platform providing a data catalogue and visualisation to facilitate users in analysing various data, accessible through the portal open.dosm.gov.my.
