EFFORTS TO RAISE NATIONAL FOOD PRODUCTION SUCCESSFUL - DPM

SERDANG, Malaysia, Nov 29 (Bernama) -- The country's efforts to raise domestic
food production have to a certain extent been successful although the national
expenditure on food is still substantial, said Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin
Yassin.

He said this was because some of the food products could not be produced in
sufficient quantity while the number of people had also been increasing.

"From the global aspect, food security is still continuing because the world is
incapable of supplying enough food. This is different for Malaysia, where people
are starving in other countries, there is no starvation here. Starving if one
does not eat, but (here) many people die because of over eating," he told
reporters after making a visit to the Malaysian Agriculture, Horticulture and
Agro-Tourism (MAHA) Show 2010, here Sunday.

Also present was Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Noh Omar.

Muhyiddin, who was once the Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry,
spent about six hours visiting the exhibition held once every two years.

He said efforts to raise food production were still ongoing to ensure that
Malaysia had adequate food supply.

"In terms of padi planting, it is found to be okay. Our policy on padi is to
produce about 70 per cent (of national consumption), while the balance is
imported.

"I feel this has been achieved, in fact the yield by the padi planting sector,
for example, has increased in terms of production per hectare compared to the
past.

"But the yield from the agricultural sector such as animal husbandry, it is
still far from our target. We know that it is not possible for Malaysia to meet
the total requirement for meat supply," he said.

Meanwhile, Muhyiddin said that in view of the encouraging response, he proposed
that MAHA was held every year with the mini MAHA being held according to certain
sectors such as fisheries, animal husbandry and aquaculture being interspersed
with the international standard MAHA.

He said that up to the third day Sunday the number of visitors to the MAHA 2010
had reached 698,000.
-- BERNAMA