URGENT NEED TO EXPAND AGRICULTURE AND FOOD PRODUCTION

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27 (Bernama) -- There is an urgent need for Developing
Eight (D8) countries to help each other to expand agriculture and food
production and increase investment in agriculture, agribusiness and rural
development, Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed
said Thursday.

"Each of us is successful in our own niche areas and we should share
expertise and learn from each other," he said at the ministerial presentation
session at the D8 Ministers Meeting on Food Security conference here.

Malaysia, on its part, aimed to increase the self-sufficiency level of its
nine major food commodities under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

Its also aimed to achieve self-sufficient level in five commodities, namely
fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry and eggs, he said.


Mustapa said that as rice was the staple food of Malaysians, the immediate
concerns of the government was to increase rice production.

"This is done through improving and upgrading infrastructure, the use of
farm machinery; modernisation of farm management and the use of quality inputs
including fertilisers and seeds," he said.

He said Malaysia had also embarked on a programme to identify and develop
idle land and ponds for crop cultivation and fish rearing.

-- BERNAMA