KOTA KINABALU: Padiberas Nasional Berhad (BERNAS) will increase the nation's total rice stockpile from the current 150,000 to 200,000 metric tonnes by year's end.
Agriculture and Food Industry Minister (MAFI) Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee said the stockpile will eventually be increased to 290,000 metric tonnes by 2023, costing RM250 million, fully borne by BERNAS.
The minister said was pleased with the management and storage performance of BERNAS, which so far has met the key performance index (KPI) of its social obligation set by the government.
The purpose of the inspection was to make sure the country's rice stockpile is always sufficient, which is part of the federal government concession agreement with BERNAS, he said, adding that there are 31 rice stockpile warehouses nationwide in the peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak.
"The annual requirement of rice for Malaysians is 2.5 million metric tonnes while the country's rice production is around 70 per cent to meet the demand.
"Therefore, the country still imports about 700,000 to 900,000 metric tonnes of rice annually to cover the shortage of rice production in the country and also to meet the demand for premium rice," said Kiandee after inspecting the national rice stockpile warehouse in Telipok, near here today.
The operation of the local paddy and rice industry is not affected by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic as the government has placed agriculture activities as essential services, he said.
"The government will continue to ensure that the chain of operation in the paddy and rice industry will always run smoothly to make sure the staple food supply is adequate," said Kiandee.
Meanwhile, he said the soon to be launched National Agro-Food Policy 2021-2030 (DAN 2.0) includes several key strategies to uplift the country's paddy and rice industry and increasing farmers' income.
"The primary goal of DAN 2.0 is to increase the self-sufficiency level (SSL) of rice to 80 per cent from 2021 to 2030 to ensure the sustainability of the country's paddy and rice supply," he said.
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister cum Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan was also present.
