KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 —The Kelantan government is ready to cultivate corn as a long-term alternative to poultry feed.

Sinar Harian today reported state executive councillor for Agriculture, Agro-based Industry, Biotechnology, Green Technology and Environment Tuan Mohd Saripudin Tuan Ismail saying several corn varieties of the cereal crop for animal feed planted in Bachok four years ago had been proven to have high yields, but the programme was stopped due to the lack of market demand at that time.

"In the past, we planted grain corn to be processed as animal feed, including chicken, but had to be replaced with sweet corn, pearl corn and fat corn because grain corn was less popular in the market at that time.

"Now the government is ready to convert the existing maize crop to grain maize to be processed into food for livestock," he said as quoted saying.

Tuan Mohd Saripudin said grain crop farmers needed Putrajaya's help, especially with fertiliser and pesticide subsidies, to ensure their product could be marketed well.

"The state government and farmers are ready to work together for the development of animal feed that can be done on a large scale, including on abandoned agricultural lands.

"They need support from the federal government through incentives and subsidies related to fertilisers and pesticides because they are burdened with a double increase in the price of the planting material and need to ensure that it can be sold, for example through contract agreements with any relevant parties," he was quoted saying.

He added that the state government is also working to increase its maize yield in Jeli, from one million crop to 10 million.

"Kelantan also has maize crops of these types in Lojing, Gua Musang, Tanah Merah and Bachok which can be used as animal feed based on a study.

"It's just that the corn needs to go through a drying process and be crushed as well as added with ingredients such as soy to increase the nutrition to be given to livestock," he said.

Last Monday, the federal Cabinet asked state governments, government agencies and government-linked companies to grant Temporary Occupancy Licences to farmers so they could cultivate maize as poultry feed.

The Cabinet also gave an immediate greenlight for cooperatives involved in the plantation sector to hire foreign workers, to overcome the current poultry shortage in the country.

But Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Minister Tan Sri Noh Omar said those who wished to recruit foreigners as farm hands must first be registered with the Companies Commission of Malaysia.