KPKM Developing Programme To Speed Up Agrofood Commercialisation

KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 (Bernama) -- The government is formulating a special programme under the 13th Malaysia Plan to accelerate the commercialisation of research outcomes that meet market standards, particularly in the agro-food sector, the Dewan Negara was told today.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup said the initiative aims to reduce failures between the pre-commercialisation and commercialisation phases, while also enhancing the market readiness of research and development products.

“The ministry is also exploring potential collaboration with private company FarmByte Sdn Bhd in marketing through its digital business-to-business platform,” he said during a question-and-answer session.

bootstrap slideshow

He was replying to a supplementary question from Senator Datuk Dr Ahmad Azam Hamzah regarding the government’s plans to strengthen collaboration between private companies, local universities and the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) in developing sustainable technology tailored to the needs of modern farmers.

Arthur emphasised that collaboration between the government, academic institutions and the private sector is crucial in driving agricultural innovation, as the ministry does not possess expertise in all fields.

Among the ongoing collaborations is an initiative between the Department of Fisheries and the International Islamic University Malaysia to develop an early warning system for harmful algal blooms using Internet of Things technology.

bootstrap slideshow

Additionally, the ministry is working with Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) to detect white spot disease in marine fish using artificial intelligence.

In response to a supplementary question from Senator Hussin Ismail on government incentives for adopting modern agricultural technology, Arthur said the ministry provides two grants -- Start-Up and Scale-Up -- to support young people in the agricultural sector.

“For incentives such as tax exemptions, we can discuss with the Ministry of Finance to explore such options.

“In terms of research, the ministry continuously collaborates with MARDI to conduct various studies on seeds that can adapt to climate changes, including research to ensure that agricultural products are commercially viable,” he said.

-- BERNAMA