The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry, in collaboration with the Agriculture Department and several other agencies, is participating in the Beras Ganu brand programme, which has been certified by Malaysia Good Agricultural Practice (myGAP).
The agencies involved in the programme are the Northern Terengganu Integrated Agricultural Development Area (Iada Ketara), Kawalselia Padi dan Beras (KPB), and the Farmers’ Organisation Authority (LPP).
In a media statement issued on Saturday (Sept 9), the office of the Agriculture and Food Security Minister announced that all participating padi farmers received a padi incentive of RM8 per sack (85 kilogrammes) in 2021. This year, they will receive RM9 per sack, which is a contribution from the state government.
“This is in addition to the aid given by the federal government for padi planting incentives through the provision of input subsidies such as legal rice seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, ploughs, and output subsidies of the Padi Price Subsidy Scheme (SSHP) amounting to almost RM1.63bil per year in the country, including Terengganu,” stated the media release.
The statement was issued to clarify information about myGAP Beras Ganu produced in Terengganu.
According to the statement, currently, myGAP certification has been given to padi crops covering an area of 908.70 hectares (ha) out of 12,000 ha in Terengganu.
In 2021, a total of 450 tonnes of Beras Ganu myGAP were successfully harvested, equivalent to only 6% of the rice supply in the Terengganu market.
“For the record, the self-sufficiency level (SSL) for padi in Terengganu in 2022 was 56%, as the unexpected floods occurred, and not 78% as reported by some parties,” mentioned the statement.
A viral message claimed that Terengganu had successfully increased the padi self-sufficiency level from 42.7% in 2019 to 49.22% in 2020, 54.15% in 2021, and 78.87% in 2022.
Launched in 2002 by the Department of Agriculture, myGAP is a certification scheme designed to recognize farms that follow good agricultural practices to produce safe and quality food, protect the environment, and ensure the safety and welfare of workers. – Bernama
Credit: The Star : News Feed
