KUALA LUMPUR, August 19 — Malaysia’s self-sufficiency ratio (SSR) for vegetables was only 45.4 per cent in 2023, while the SSR for tropical vegetables reached 83.1 per cent, according to Mohamad Sabu.
The agriculture and food security minister told Port Dickson MP Aminuddin Harun in a written parliamentary reply last Tuesday that certain vegetables achieved SSR exceeding 100 per cent, such as tomatoes (123.7 per cent), cucumbers (112.1 per cent), spinach (112 per cent), salad (114 per cent), long beans (107.2 per cent), brinjal (112.3 per cent), and lady’s finger (102.2 per cent).
SSR for a particular commodity is calculated by dividing domestic production by total domestic utilisation. A higher SSR indicates greater food security, as the country is less reliant on imports.
“The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM), through the Department of Agriculture (DOA), has been allocated RM57.7 million under the Twelfth Malaysia Plan (12MP) for the implementation of vegetable crop sector development projects in an effort to enhance the competitiveness of local vegetable farmers,” said Mohamad in his Dewan Rakyat reply.
He listed a vegetable crop development project (RM20 million), a selected vegetables SSR enhancement programme (RM19.7 million), and an income enhancement project for paddy farmers outside granary areas (B40) (RM18 million).
“The incentives and assistance provided to farmers/operators under this project are in the form of matching grants or in-kind support, which include agricultural inputs, farm infrastructure facilities, mechanisation, and post-harvest support,” said Mohamad.
Tanjung Piai MP Wee Jeck Seng separately asked Mohamad about KPKM’s plans to reduce reliance on imported food to avoid burdening people with price increases as a result of the expansion of the sales and service tax (SST).
Imported fruits were among food products levied with a 5 per cent sales tax from July 1, but the government later exempted several imported fruits like apples, oranges, mandarin oranges, and dates from SST.
The Ministry of Finance (MOF) also said in a statement last June 27 that tax-exempt essential goods, whether locally produced or imported, included rice, chicken, beef, vegetables, and eggs.
Mohamad said in a written Dewan Rakyat reply to Wee that KPKM targeted 80 per cent rice SSR, 50 per cent beef SSR, and 100 per cent dairy milk SSR by 2030.
KPKM also targets aquaculture production of 958 thousand metric tonnes by 2030 and producing shallot seeds for commercial domestic production with a target of 1,447 hectares of shallot cultivation by 2030.
According to Mohamad’s reply to Aminuddin, for the years 2023 and 2024, the DOA has implemented various programmes aimed at helping to improve the competitiveness of the country’s vegetable farmers, such as:
(i) Vegetable Crop Development Programme, which successfully developed an area of 646.75 hectares, producing 12,770.66 metric tonnes of vegetables involving a total of 559 farmers;
(ii) Selected Vegetables Self-Sufficiency Ratio (SSR) Enhancement Programme for cabbage, chilli, ginger, and onions, which successfully developed 470.72 hectares of vegetable crops, producing 90,052.86 metric tonnes of vegetables involving a total of 508 farmers; and
(iii) Income Enhancement Project for Paddy Farmers Outside Granary Areas (B40), which successfully developed 595.14 hectares, producing 6,494.04 metric tonnes of vegetables involving a total of 906 farmers.
