PUTRAJAYA, Nov 16 — A database to record and register farmers in Malaysia will be established to facilitate the government’s efforts in distributing aid and incentives to the group, according to the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry (KPKM).
This follows the approval of the proposal to formulate the Farmers Registration Enactment during a meeting between Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu and state executive councillors in charge of agriculture held in a hybrid format yesterday.
“Through this initiative, efforts to ascertain the actual number of farmers involved in the agricultural sector will facilitate the government in distributing aid and incentives to farmers.
“It will also serve as a reference for all quarters, especially in planning the development of the agro-food sector and prevent leakages in the provision of aid to farmers,” the ministry said in a statement today.
KPKM added that 11 presentations were conducted during the meeting, including a proposal to establish dedicated organic farming areas at the state level.
The proposal is in line with the National Agrofood Policy 2021-2030, the National Food Security Policy Action Plan 2021-2025 and the Sustainable Development Goals 2030.
“Organic farming is one of the activities given emphasis in addressing critical global challenges through environmentally friendly and safe practices,” it said.
The ministry said the meeting also took note of the initiative to strengthen agricultural and agro-food sector data, which requires data management support from state governments to ensure current and reliable data across time.
In a separate statement, the Department of Agriculture said that Deputy Director-General (Management and Regulatory) Datuk Nor Sam Alwi has been appointed as the Director-General of Agriculture effective Nov 15.
The department said that Nor Sam, a graduate in Agricultural Science from Universiti Putra Malaysia, is the second female officer appointed to the post.
Nor Sam, who has previously served as the Director of Agriculture for Perak and Director for the Crop Industry Development Division, is replacing Datuk Zahimi Hassan, who went on mandatory retirement on Aug 26.
— Bernama
