National Seed Council To Be Launched Soon To Address Monopoly Issues – Mohamad

PASIR SALAK, July 14 (Bernama) -- The National Seed Council, which is currently in the final stages of evaluation, will be launched soon.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said the body is crucial to ensure proper regulation of the seed industry in the country and prevent monopolisation by any particular company or country.

"Let the management of seeds be done in an orderly manner, and we will have a national seed board to regulate all types of plant or livestock seeds in Malaysia," he said.

The minister said this in a press conference following the Clearfield padi varieties MR CL3 and MR CL4 declaration at the FELCRA Plantation Services Sdn Bhd Padi Seed Centre in Seberang Perak today.

Also present were the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry (KPKM) secretary-general Datuk Seri Isham Ishak; Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) board chairman Dr Azman Ismail; State Rural Development, Plantation, Agriculture and Food Industry committee chairman Datuk Mohd Zolkafly Harun; and MARDI director-general Datuk Dr Mohamad Zabawi Abdul Ghani.

Mohamad also said that one of the council's key functions will be to establish a seed repository system or an official storage centre for all types of local agricultural and livestock seeds.

"The padi seed centre will serve as a repository for all types of seeds available in the country, and in the event of any issues, we can use the repository to produce seeds for the future," he added.

In June, KPKM, in a meeting, decided to designate MARDI as the lead agency for the National Seed Hub, in addition to establishing an advisory council comprising various experts to develop the coordinating body.

Malaysia currently relies almost entirely on imported seeds, including 90 per cent of vegetable and watermelon seeds valued at RM2.7 million.

-- BERNAMA