Kuala lumpur: The country's rice self-sufficiency ratio (SSR) needs to be increased to at least 80 per cent to ensure that supply is at a comfortable level, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said. His ministry would continue to improve the country's rice ecosystem and increase domestic rice production to ensure sufficient supply as an SSR rate of under 60 per cent was not an adequate level for the country's food security.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the efforts include encouraging companies and capable parties to open larger rice fields with the cooperation of state governments in providing suitable land. Mohamad Sabu emphasized the need to increase productivity and strengthen the supply chain through expanding the use of technology, encouraging innovation, and opening up more opportunities for value creation throughout the industry chain. He made these remarks at a programme at Laman Padi in conjunction with the Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism Exhibition (MAHA) 2026.

While the agriculture sector is currently developing by combining the use of data, technology, automation, artificial intelligence (AI), innovation, and entrepreneurship, it must be accompanied by diligence and determination to achieve the targeted increase in productivity, Mohamad explained.

In another development, Mohamad shared that the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry is exploring an approach to integrating giant freshwater prawn farming in rice fields to produce two sources of yield from the same agricultural area. He observed the potential of this approach during a visit to a rice field area in China that integrated rice cultivation with giant freshwater prawn farming.

Mohamad noted that in that rice field, there were giant freshwater prawns, providing two yields: one from rice and one from prawns. The giant freshwater prawn fry were brought from Malaysia, and breeding was carried out in China. Despite Malaysia having more suitable weather conditions for giant freshwater prawn farming throughout the year compared to China, this integration approach has yet to be widely explored.

The minister suggested that the approach could be studied for future implementation, especially in paddy areas with a reliable irrigation system, thereby allowing the same area to be utilised for the production of rice and giant freshwater prawns.