Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries to Improve Food Security for Malaysia
2022年8月8日 - 01:00PM
JCN Newswire
Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries (MAFI) has signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with PLS Plantations Berhad, a
leading agrofood company in Malaysia, to conduct an in-depth study
and put forward a proposal for the national food security
programme.
The MoU was officiated by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Yang Amat
Berhormat Dato' Sri Ismail Sabri Bin Yaakob at the biennial
Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agro Tourism (MAHA) 2022.
Also present was the Minister of Agriculture and Food Industries,
Yang Berhormat (YB) Datuk Seri Dr. Ronald Kiandee, and PLS
Plantations' Group Chairman, Yang Berbahagia (YBhg) Tan Sri
Mohammed Nazir Bin Abdul Razak. Also in attendance to sign the MoU
were YBhg Dato' Haslina Binti Abdul Hamid, Secretary-General of
MAFI, and PLS Plantations' Group Chief Executive Officer, Lee Hun
Kheng.
YB Datuk Seri Dr. Ronald Kiandee said, "Malaysia continues to rise
on the Global Food Security Index (GFSI)[1] and is ranked 39th, up
from the 43rd spot in 2020[2]. We have performed well with an
overall score of 70.1 compared to the previous year of 67.9. The
increase in Malaysia's score (compared to the previous year) is the
highest increase in score among the 113 countries involved.
However, due to multiple issues, compounded by rising population,
and labour shortage, Malaysia's food and agriculture imports
remains high at around RM55.5 billion[3]. As such, it is crucial
for the industry - both public and private - to work closely to
further strengthen our food sufficiency throughout the entire
supply chain. At the same time, we need to organise ourselves to
capitalise on opportunities to generate higher incomes for
agriculture frontliners, close the income gap, and improve
livelihoods. Securing this future also requires us to attract more
youth to participate in the sector and we see public-private
partnerships as a key strategy to injecting new programmes,
technologies, and platforms that will attract new farmers and
participants to the industry. Through these efforts we are
confident we can improve our national food security resilience,
accessibility, and affordability of quality food, which is in line
with our National Food Security Policy (DSMN Action Plan) 2021 -
2025[4]."
YBhg. Tan Sri Mohammed Nazir added, "This MoU is a significant
milestone for PLS Plantations. We look forward to supporting MAFI
and the industry's efforts to further improve the nation's food
sufficiency levels. The research and proposal will serve as a
baseline that will guide our efforts in rolling out our food
security programme. In addition, our newly launched initiatives,
the PLS Agropreneur Programme and PLS Integrated Agrotech Park,
will contribute to creating a thriving ecosystem where we can
attract the experienced and specialised farmers to scale their
farms and produce, as well as bring the best and brightest to
participate in the industry."
The PLS Agropreneur Programme is a platform for new and experienced
farmers who are interested to participate in the industry or scale
their farms. It offers end-to-end support, from training and
development, land lease, offtake network support, as well as
financial support and incentives. The PLS Intergated Agrotech Park
serves as a platform for collaboration with universities, and
agrofood to science and technology companies.
He concluded, "Collaboration, specifically knowledge-sharing aided
by technology and science have paved the way for the industries to
grow and thrive. Likewise, for the agrofood industry, we see these
initiatives as a way to elevate the industry, to bring our youth
back to the suburbs and villages, and uplift the B40 communities,
farmers and indigenous communities."
[1] Source: GFSI by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) based in
London, United Kingdom https://tinyurl.com/54zydpck
[2] Source: MAFI - https://www.mafi.gov.my/en_US/gfsi-2021
[3] Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia 2022
https://tinyurl.com/5xbvnv6r
[4] Source: MAFI - https://tinyurl.com/2ccdnp8h
About PLS Plantations Berhad
PLS Plantations was incorporated in Malaysia in 1987 and was listed
on the Second Board of Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange in 1994.
Currently listed on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia Securities
Berhad, PLS and its subsidiaries are involved in the management and
operation of forest, oil palm and durian plantations, as well as
the processing, distribution and sale of durian products.
PLS Plantations received a Silver3 rating from RAM Sustainability
in April 2022, setting the baseline for the Company's
sustainability journey and framework. PLS Plantations remains
guided by environment, social and governance (ESG) values as they
progress towards becoming the nation's leading sustainable agrofood
company. https://plsplantations.my/
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