THE government is targeting a 30 per cent reduction in its dependence on imported seeds by 2040 through greater use of biotechnology, increased domestic seed production and the development of high-quality local breeds.
Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said the initiative was crucial to strengthening the country’s food security and enhancing the resilience of the agri-food sector against climate change and disease.
The Roadmap for Modern Biotechnology Approaches to Enhance Malaysia’s Agri-Food Self-Sufficiency Rate was approved at the second National Seed Council meeting of 2026, which Mohamad chaired in Bukit Katil, Melaka, on Friday.
The meeting was attended by representatives from ministries and government agencies, as well as academic experts and private-sector players from the seed and breeding industries.
The initiative focuses on the application of modern biotechnology in research, expertise development and the production of high-quality planting materials to strengthen Malaysia’s domestic seed industry.
In a related development, the meeting also approved proposals to enhance the national dairy goat breeding ecosystem, including efforts to strengthen the Saanen goat breeding industry on the East Coast through public-private collaboration.
It also endorsed proposals to reinforce the Aquaculture Industry Development Plan for the Nucleus Breeding Centre and Broodstock Multiplication Centre through the appointment of a company as a Project Delivery Partner.
Meanwhile, a visit was also held at a banana tissue culture farm in Ayer Molek, Melaka, to observe the application of tissue culture technology in producing high-quality planting materials.
The government will continue expanding domestic seed and breeding production to reduce reliance on imports, strengthen the country’s food supply security and ensure the long-term sustainability of the agri-food sector. - August 22, 2026
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