ALOR STAR: Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor today said the state government was ramping up efforts to maximise rice production in the wake of global food security crisis fear by 2025.
Sanusi said this include cracking down on any misconduct or practices that could disrupt the production of rice in Kedah.
"Several countries have resorted to imposing export ban for their crops and this is attributing towards the looming global food crisis.
"We must view this threat seriously as it will push the price of essential items based on wheat, poultry and dairy by 2025," he told reporters after chairing the weekly state executive council meeting at Wisma Darul Aman here today.
His statement came following the call by the National Recovery Council chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for the government to reactivate the special council on food security, which previously addressed food crises in the country.
As such, Sanusi said his administration will crack down on any misconduct or practices that could disrupt the production of rice in Kedah.
"As the rice bowl of Malaysia, we have debated this issue extensively during the recent State Assembly to ensure that all the relevant state government and federal agencies in Kedah to take proactive action in ramping up our rice yield.
"Any shortcomings that may inhibit the amount of harvest we can yield must be eradicated urgently," he added.
Citing an example, Sanusi said the paddy cultivation project undertaken by the Zakat Kedah involving participants from asnaf group, proved that it was possible to hit above 6 tonnes per hectare yield.
"For instance, recently Zakat Kedah produced 7.8 tonnes of yield from the same plot of fields which previously only produced 6 tonnes of yield.
"So, we should be asking why we were just getting 6 tonnes for such a long time.
"If there is such a network in this industry where there are dishonest practices within it, we will challenge these old figures with our new model using our scales which we cultivated 7.8 tonnes of rice.
"I question this since we use the same machinery, same paddy seeds, same weather patterns, same water, and same soil but we could only produce 6 tonnes previously, so we want to consider this," he added.
Sanusi warned that any party found involved with any dishonest practices that could have a detrimental effect on the rice harvest, would met with heavy consequences.
"Our policy is that we should produce more than that number, but why is it less? So, we conclude that if there are cartels involved in this industry, they will be eradicated to make sure the fate of our farmers will change and we can produce more crops.
"We will go to war against these dishonest activities if we identify them, cartel or not, we will eradicate them." he said.