KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 3 — Agriculture and Food Securities Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu that the country is on the right track to reduce its dependence on imported red onions.

He said this follows the success of the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) in producing three varieties of MARDI red onion, namely BAW-1, BAW-2 and BAW-3 last year.

"The year 2024 is the time for us to take steps towards large-scale cultivation. Together we can achieve success!” he said in a Facebook post today.

During his New Year’s message for 2024, Mohamad said the Agriculture and Food Securities Ministry would focus on strengthening the onion industry this year.

In line with its aim of reducing onion imports by 30 per cent, he said the ministry is targeting an annual farming area of 1,447 hectares. — Bernama