AGRO SECTOR CANNOT BE SIDELINED, SAYS PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 (Bernama) -- The agricultural sector cannot be
sidelined but should be developed fully if the objective of becoming a
high-income nation within the next 10 years is to be achieved, said Najib Razak.


The Prime Minister said the government wished to develop the agricultural sector
and pool all the existing potentials so that the progress of this very important
and strategic sector was in line with the national agenda.

He said this when opening the 37th Annual General Meeting of the National
Farmers Organisation (Nafas), here Tuesday night.

Najib said agriculture was one of the National Key Economic Areas (NKEA) which
was targeted to raise its contribution to the Gross National Product (GNP) from
RM20 billion currently to RM49 billion by 2020, excluding industrial crops.
(US$1=RM3.13)

Towards this objective, he outlined several important elements to develop the
agricultural sector including creating transformation from low productivity to
high productivity.

In addition, the Prime Minister said transformation in the agricultural sector
must be carried out through the use of technology from low to high technology.

He said the other changes were turning agriculture from a low income sector into
one that could promise more lucrative income.

"These are among the paradigm shifts that must be carried out if we were to
achieve what had been outlined in the New Economic Model," he said.

According to Najib, the demand for the country's various agricultural produce
from abroad, such as fruits, was substantial but the production or supply of
these products was insufficient to meet the demand.

"If we want to develop agriculture, we have to look at all angles...what are the
obstacles. We need to do whatever is necessary so that within the next 10 years,
there will be major transformation in the country's agricultural landscape," he
said.

The Prime Minister hoped Nafas could study in detail how it could contribute
towards achieving national economic transformation and to develop the
agricultural sector that could push Malaysia towards becoming a high income
nation within the next 10 years.
-- BERNAMA



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