Malaysia should draw lessons from China’s experience in strengthening its agricultural sector and food security through technology adoption, higher productivity and the systematic development of rural areas.
Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said Malaysia had significant potential to further strengthen its agri-food sector by adopting suitable approaches from other countries while continuing to protect the interests of local industry players.
“China has demonstrated how the agricultural sector can be strengthened through the use of technology, increased productivity, rural development and systematic, continuous planning,” he said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
“We must be willing to learn from the experiences of other countries, adopt approaches that suit our needs and, at the same time, continue empowering our local farmers, paddy growers, livestock breeders and fishermen.”
Mohamad said he shared these observations during Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting following his recent visit to China, where he attended the 11th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Food Security Ministerial Meeting in Hangzhou.
He also stressed the need to further strengthen cooperation with other countries to ensure regional food supply chains remain strong and stable.
Ultimately, Mohamad said, the goal was to ensure Malaysians had sufficient food supplies while strengthening the country’s food system to make it more resilient in facing future challenges.
