Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries to Improve Food Security for
Malaysia
Inks MoU with PLS Plantations to conduct a study and develop a proposal for the
nation's food security programme

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 8, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - Ministry of Agriculture and Food
Industries (MAFI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with PLS
Plantations Berhad, a leading agrofood company in Malaysia, to conduct an in-
depth study and put forward a proposal for the national food security programme.

The MoU was officiated by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Yang Amat Berhormat
Dato' Sri Ismail Sabri Bin Yaakob at the biennial Malaysia Agriculture,
Horticulture and Agro Tourism (MAHA) 2022. Also present was the Minister of
Agriculture and Food Industries, Yang Berhormat (YB) Datuk Seri Dr. Ronald
Kiandee, and PLS Plantations' Group Chairman, Yang Berbahagia (YBhg) Tan Sri
Mohammed Nazir Bin Abdul Razak. Also in attendance to sign the MoU were YBhg
Dato' Haslina Binti Abdul Hamid, Secretary-General of MAFI, and PLS
Plantations' Group Chief Executive Officer, Lee Hun Kheng.

YB Datuk Seri Dr. Ronald Kiandee said, "Malaysia continues to rise on the
Global Food Security Index (GFSI)[1] and is ranked 39th, up from the 43rd spot
in 2020[2]. We have performed well with an overall score of 70.1 compared to
the previous year of 67.9. The increase in Malaysia's score (compared to the
previous year) is the highest increase in score among the 113 countries
involved.

However, due to multiple issues, compounded by rising population, and labour
shortage, Malaysia's food and agriculture imports remains high at around RM55.5
billion[3]. As such, it is crucial for the industry - both public and private -
to work closely to further strengthen our food sufficiency throughout the
entire supply chain. At the same time, we need to organise ourselves to
capitalise on opportunities to generate higher incomes for agriculture
frontliners, close the income gap, and improve livelihoods. Securing this
future also requires us to attract more youth to participate in the sector and
we see public-private partnerships as a key strategy to injecting new
programmes, technologies, and platforms that will attract new farmers and
participants to the industry. Through these efforts we are confident we can
improve our national food security resilience, accessibility, and affordability
of quality food, which is in line with our National Food Security Policy (DSMN
Action Plan) 2021 - 2025[4]."

YBhg. Tan Sri Mohammed Nazir added, "This MoU is a significant milestone for
PLS Plantations. We look forward to supporting MAFI and the industry's efforts
to further improve the nation's food sufficiency levels. The research and
proposal will serve as a baseline that will guide our efforts in rolling out
our food security programme. In addition, our newly launched initiatives, the
PLS Agropreneur Programme and PLS Integrated Agrotech Park, will contribute to
creating a thriving ecosystem where we can attract the experienced and
specialised farmers to scale their farms and produce, as well as bring the best
and brightest to participate in the industry."

The PLS Agropreneur Programme is a platform for new and experienced farmers who
are interested to participate in the industry or scale their farms. It offers
end-to-end support, from training and development, land lease, offtake network
support, as well as financial support and incentives. The PLS Intergated
Agrotech Park serves as a platform for collaboration with universities, and
agrofood to science and technology companies.

He concluded, "Collaboration, specifically knowledge-sharing aided by
technology and science have paved the way for the industries to grow and
thrive. Likewise, for the agrofood industry, we see these initiatives as a way
to elevate the industry, to bring our youth back to the suburbs and villages,
and uplift the B40 communities, farmers and indigenous communities."