A rice and food story

WE have neglected our agriculture sector for so long that the neglect is now coming back to haunt us. Take our staple food, rice. We only produce about 60 per cent of the country’s needs, and most of this comes from Kedah. The rest is imported. From 80 to 70 to now 60 per cent is a depressing Malaysian rice story. The padi farmers in Kedah have gone to great pains in reaching out to the authorities, telling them individually and through associations that things are not going their way. Padi farmers elsewhere, even in productive Sekinchan, are unhappy with the state of the industry. If nothing is done, and quickly, too, things can only get worse. Malaysia would be blessed if it could…