March 23, 2023

 

Malaysia looks to smart farming to boost domestic food production

Chang Lih Kang, Malaysia's Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, said the country is looking to smart farming technology to increase domestic food production and reduce its dependence on imports, The Straits Times reported.

 

Chang said that Malaysian farms could soon be equipped with a range of technologies, including remote-controlled sensors, drones and robots to monitor, water and fertilise crops.

 

The country is also exploring the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) and precision farming, which could help with tasks such as greenhouse climate control and crop monitoring, and assist with precision fertilisation.

 

To date, one privately-owned pesticide-free aquaponic farm in the state of Perak has successfully employed IoT to rear tilapia and grow organic lettuce and spinach. The government is now executing three similar pilot projects in the states of Perak and Johor.

 

Chang said that the IoT is a way to bring precision and accuracy to the farming industry, which could reduce wastage and improve food safety.

 

The use of robots and drones in farming could also contribute to sustainability, automation and improved crop yields. Other technologies being tested include ways to shorten harvesting periods, and to increase yields and resilience against pests.

 

But the high initial cost of implementing smart farming technology may deter farmers. For a farm of around 930 square metres, an IoT system could cost around MYR 50,000 (~US$11,300; MYR 1 = US$0.23), excluding other requirements such as seeds and a greenhouse, which could set a farmer back around MYR 500,000 (~US$113,000).

 

Malaysia is heavily reliant on imports for essential food products despite having an abundance of land and resources. In 2022, the country suffered a poultry shortage following a global increase in the cost of animal feed due to the Ukraine war, leading to a ban on exports to Singapore.

 

Food security has now become a priority for the new government, which hopes to raise fish production from aquaculture from 26% of total fish production to 60% over the next two to seven years. The country is also aiming to increase its beef self-sufficiency ratio to 50% by 2025. Currently, beef imports account for 82% of demand.

 

The government has identified 400 hectares of land for this purpose and aims to encourage more young people to become farmers, or to study agriculture and related fields.

 

Malaysia's Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry has been renamed the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to reflect the government's commitment to food security.

 

To achieve its goals, the Malaysian government is implementing the National Food Security Policy Action Plan 2021-2025 and the National Agrofood Policy 2021-2030. These plans aim to increase local food production and the self-sufficiency ratio of main food products, whilst also diversifying sources of food imports to meet domestic demand.

 

-      The Straits Times