KUALA LUMPUR: Efforts are underway to aggressively promote the cultivation of maize as animal feed to reduce Malaysia's reliance on imports.
The initiative is also geared towards addressing rising food prices, said Rural Development Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid.
He said the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda) will also facilitate planters to breed chicken and cattle.
"We have launched an incentive scheme with Risda to encourage the cultivation of crops such as corn used as animal feed, in a bid to address rising food prices.
"We encourage small rubber planters to diversify their planting portfolios, instead of relying on rubber trees as their sole source of income," Mahdzir said at Risda's Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house, here, today.
Present was Risda chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Salim Mohd Sharif.
A pilot project, he said, had begun in Perlis last February involving 750,000 maize plants covering a plantation of 15ha.
This, he said, is estimated to produce 82 tonnes of corn in six months during the July harvest.
"We have allocated RM20,000 each, under the Risda agricultural and food programme, for 1,000 farmers this year for the purpose.
"The programme will involve short-term and long-term farming, as well as one catered for rearing livestock," Mahadzir said.
The short-term programme focuses on growing maize, the long-term concentrated on palm oil and rubber plantations, while the one on livestock is targeted towards rearing chicken and cattle.
Mahadzir announced the initiatives following skyrocketing food and commodity prices, recently.
The rise in prices resulted in the government responding with remedial measures that included the abolition of approved permits (AP) for essential food imports.
As of June 1, the government has announced the temporary ban on chicken exports to meet local demand and stabilise prices.
Meanwhile, Mohd Salim explained that the short-term programme provided rubber planters with an alternate source of income, while their rubber plantations were being restored.
"Risda will provide the rubber planters with maize seeds, with the assurance of buying their crops upon harvest.
"Likewise, we will assist the rubber planters with their chicken and cattle breeding, which can help meet local market demands," he said.
Another assistance for rubber planters, Mohd Salim said, was in the form of the Monsoon Season Aid.
"This comes from an allocation of RM191 million specially targeted for farmers with a plantation area of between 0.1ha to 2.5ha.
"Under the aid, each applicant will receive a total of RM600 - being paid in two stages of RM300 first in November and the balance of RM300 in Dec," Mohd Salim said.