National Seed Council Forms Advisory Board, Pushes For Seed Self-Sufficiency

KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 (Bernama) -- The establishment of the National Seed Council (MBN) Advisory Board, comprising various experts, was among the key decisions made at the MBN meeting chaired by Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu today.

In a Facebook post, Mohamad said other important decisions from the meeting included mandating the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) as the lead agency for the National Seed Hub; efforts to develop pure lines of local broiler and layer chickens and the commercialisation of the ‘Ayam Saga’ breed.

The meeting also discussed the Mafriwal 2.0 dairy cattle breed recovery programme and freshwater prawn seed production under the Nucleus Breeding Centre (NBC) and Shrimp Broodstock Multiplication Centre (BMC). 

“Malaysia still depends heavily on imported seeds, including 90 per cent of vegetable seeds and RM2.7 million worth of watermelon seeds. This is a major challenge we must address together for the future of national food security.

“This seed security agenda is not only crucial for the agri-food industry, but also forms the backbone of national sovereignty and security. We need to produce high-quality, resilient local seeds that can meet the needs of our people,” he said.

He said the implementation of the National Seed Security Agenda could help Malaysia achieve self-sufficiency in the local seed sector.

“This isn’t just about agriculture, it’s about sovereignty and the future of the nation,” he said.

-- BERNAMA