Alor setar: The government has approved an allocation of RM45.6 million for the development of a rice mill by the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (MADA) as an initiative to help strengthen the country’s paddy and rice sector. Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu announced the plan, emphasizing the government’s commitment to ensuring a more organised and competitive production chain.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the new rice mill will be constructed in Megat Dewa and is expected to enhance the efficiency of rice collection, processing, and production. This development aims to increase the value-added of paddy yields and reduce reliance on middlemen, providing greater benefits to farmers.
The announcement was made during the presentation ceremony for the Paddy Crop Takaful Scheme contributions, which was attended by key figures including MADA chairman Datuk Dr Ismail Salleh and Agrobank’s group president and CEO Datuk Tengku Ahmad Badli Shah Raja Hussin.
Mohamad outlined a target for 2026, where MADA aims for an average paddy yield of 6.1 tonnes per hectare. This goal is to be achieved through modernisation efforts in paddy field management and improvements in irrigation and drainage infrastructure, alongside optimized use of agricultural inputs.
The ministry is also taking steps to increase the country’s rice self-sufficiency rate (SSR) from 52.6 per cent nationwide and 58.3 per cent in Peninsular Malaysia to 70 per cent by 2030, thereby strengthening national food security. This will be supported by the Agricultural Infrastructure Strengthening Master Plan 2026-2040, which focuses on the 3M approach-build, upgrade, and maintain-in the paddy subsector.
This year, efforts will concentrate on maintaining irrigation and drainage systems across 14 rice bowl and 13 non-rice bowl areas, covering 2,000 kilometers of irrigation canals, and upgrading 1,346 kilometers of agricultural roads for improved production and logistics in the agricultural sector.
The overall direction remains focused on ensuring that the country’s agriculture and agri-food sectors are sovereign, resilient, and capable of facing future uncertainties.