GOPENG, May 9 — The Perak government has rebranded the small red onions produced under a state pilot project called "Bawang Perak” or BP for short, in an effort to entice Malaysians into buying local alliums.

Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad today said the rebranding exercise is to differentiate the local red onion — previously coded as BAW-1 by the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute — from the imported ones that are widely available in Malaysian markets.

"Starting from mid May this year, a total of 3.3 metric tonnes of small red onions will enter the market and be sold at a price between RM10 to RM12 per kilogramme.

"The onions are priced equivalent to the rate of the imported ones in order for us to study the sales. But in future, if we have surplus and if there is no reason to import, then the price of these onions might be less,” he told a news conference after attending a "Ramah Mesra” programme held by the Perak Agriculture Department at the highway rest stop here.

He said that the BP is redder, fresher, crispier, and has a stronger aroma compared to imported onions.

Saarani said the BP was cultivated in Kampung Kuala Bikam, Sungkai at the start of the year and that the pre-commercial scale for the pilot project will continue next year.

"The actual commercial scale will start in 2026 until 2030.

"This initiative aimed to achieve the target of a 30 percent reduction in imported onions by 2030,” he said.

Saarani said the Perak government has identified several locations in Batang Padang and Kinta districts, with an area of ​​eight hectares, for BP cultivation.

He said this is in line with Perak's goal of strengthening aspects of food security by reducing import dependency as outlined in the 2030 Perak Sejahtera plan.

He added that the Agriculture Department and the Board of Farmers' Organisations have also identified several other locations suitable for the red onion cultivation in the country such as in Perlis, Penang, Selangor and Johor.