SEREMBAN – The Negri Sembilan government will expand the area for padi cultivation in Londah here to 50ac (20.23ha) to increase production in the state and reduce rice imports.
State Agriculture and Food Security Committee chairman Datuk Bakri Sawir said the state government is currently in the irrigation planning process with the Irrigation and Drainage Department and land-clearing work is set to commence soon.
“This is also in line with the government policy of 75% local padi production in several years to come… and I think we will be able to complete the land-clearing process this year.
“We are also looking at the sustainability of water supply for the crop because we are worried that when we have built all the facilities… the water source to irrigate the crop will not be sufficient. So we need to look into permanent water sources and increase food production areas,” he said when met at his office at Wisma Negri here.
He said that opening new areas for padi cultivation would increase food security and create jobs for the locals and that Negri Sembilan aims to become a rice-producing state.
While acknowledging that there are many abandoned padi fields in Jelebu, Kuala Pilah, and some other districts, Bakri said this might be caused by irrigation issues due to forest clearing, as well as weather problems, capital issues, and development of other sectors.
Meanwhile, he said the state government would soon create a permanent food production park for vegetables, cash crops, and napier on a 100-ac (40.5-ha) piece of land in Gemas to encourage large-scale, commercial, and high-technology agriculture activities.
He also said that the state government is ready to find land or an old warehouse to be used for vertical farming as an alternative to cover future food needs.
However, he said there is still a lot of abandoned land in the state, and it is not a priority at the moment, but the move can be implemented in the future if development causes land scarcity.
“It (vertical farming) is not a new method, but it can be considered for implementation in this country, and this method is also popular in Singapore because it saves space,” he said. – Bernama, February 6, 2023
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