KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia imported 1,358,718 metric tonnes of rice this year, as of September.
In a parliamentary written reply, the Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said the rice was imported from Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan, Cambodia, India, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Myanmar and Spain.
He said the ministry is implementing various initiatives encompassing short-term, medium-term and long-term plans to ensure stable rice productivity, reduce rice imports and increase farmers' incomes.
Among the efforts undertaken include promoting the use of technology and improving systematic planting management, where the ministry encourages the use of agricultural technologies such as drones and mechanisation to boost rice yields through the Ala Sekinchan Large-Scale Smart Paddy Field (SMART SBB) programme.
"It has recorded an average yield increase of up to 10.45 metric tonnes per hectare, thus raising farmers' incomes and reducing their planting costs," he said in a reply to Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (BN-Bera).
Ismail Sabri asked about the amount of rice imported from abroad and the breakdown of importing countries, as well as the short, medium and long-term actions to address the dependence on rice supply from abroad.
Mohamad said the ministry had also introduced new rice varieties.
"We encourage farmers to use new rice varieties resulting from ongoing research and development by the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute.
"This year, Mardi introduced two new high-quality rice varieties to enhance yields and farmers' incomes in the country, namely the local fragrant rice varieties MRQ 107 and MRQ 111, which can yield over five metric tonnes per hectare with proper management.
"Both varieties have good resistance to rice blast, are more resilient, disease-resistant, and have higher yields.
"Therefore, the use of these new rice varieties is expected to assist farmers in addressing various issues such as disease and pest attacks, natural disasters and more."
He said the ministry also provides training on crop management and encourages the farmers to obtain MyGAP Certification.
"All these efforts and measures are seen as potential motivators for farmers and can indirectly increase their incomes."