KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced today that a meeting with the National Farmers Organisation (Nafas) and the Malaysian National Co-operative Movement (Angkasa) earlier has discussed measures to beef up the nation’s food security.
In a statement, he said that this would be done by decreasing the country’s dependence on its neighbours with Nafas and Angkasa’s involvement in large-scale production of corn grain, which is used as chicken feed.
"I am confident in Nafas and Angkasa’s ability to help the government handle the issue of the increasing prices of chicken and food supplies,” he said.
He said the two groups will be involved at every stage of chicken production, from the hatching of chicks, chicken feed, vaccinations, coops, processing facilities, freezers, logistics, distribution centres and marketing until the product reaches the consumer.
Nafas aims to control 20 per cent of the market with production numbers of around 144 million chickens a year, while Angkasa aims to breed 30 million chickens a year.
An area of 12,140 hectares in Kelantan and Terengganu previously used as a tobacco plantation was identified by Nafas to be used for planting corn.
On the other hand, Angkasa has identified areas totalling 4,000 hectares throughout the country, with the aid of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries, of which each hectare has the capability to produce five tonnes of corn grain and can accommodate around 20 per cent of the import needs for corn grain in the next five years.
Ismail Sabri said that these measures were in line with the recommendations of the Economic Action Council to enhance cooperation between the public and private sectors to increase agricultural production, especially chicken.
Angkasa was also asked to lead the cooperative sector in handling the issue of rising costs of living.
Malaysia has been hit hard by the global major food crisis in which shortages have seen the prices of food supplies skyrocketing.
Flexible ceiling prices that change according to price input were a measure introduced yesterday by Ismail Sabri in hopes of ensuring food security.
