Malaysia’s current rice stock is sufficient to meet domestic demand for 6.23 months, reflecting the country’s preparedness to deal with any disruption to the global food supply chain.
Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Chan Foong Hin said that as of July 7, the country’s physical rice stock stood at 1.05 million metric tonnes, including 200,000 metric tonnes of buffer stock.
He said the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) has continued to strengthen the nation’s food security through a range of measures aimed at minimising the impact of global supply chain disruptions.
Among the initiatives are financial assistance programmes to reduce operating costs for agri-food producers, including the Budi Agri-Komoditi Cash Aid of RM400 per month, a RM300 monthly ploughing incentive for paddy farmers, and the continuation of diesel and petrol subsidies for fishermen.
Chan also said the ministry is enhancing market monitoring through an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered early warning system under the Agri-Food Supply and Demand Intervention System.
He said the system enables early detection of supply and demand issues, allowing the government to implement faster, more accurate and proactive interventions.
He was responding to a question from Senator Abdul Nasir Idris in the Dewan Negara on the government’s long-term plans to reduce dependence on food imports, domestic food self-sufficiency targets and Malaysia’s readiness to face disruptions to international supply chains.
Chan said the ministry is also focusing on increasing domestic production of commodities that are heavily dependent on imports, including grain corn and onions.
Under the plan, a large-scale grain corn cultivation programme will be implemented from 2026 to 2040, with a production target of 1.25 million metric tonnes.
For onions, the ministry will launch a commercial pilot project involving the local BAW-1 shallot variety, covering 1,447 hectares by 2030.
