Fertilizer delays threaten Malaysia’s rice self-sufficiency, farmers say

Delays in fertilizer supplies could further pressure Malaysia’s rice production and push the country toward greater reliance on imports, according to the Malaysian Farmers’ Brotherhood Organization, known as Pesawah.

Pesawah chairman Abdul Rashid Yob said the failure to address the delays could lower Malaysia’s rice self-sufficiency rate. The risk has become more apparent as the national rate continues to fall.

That decline is widening the gap between domestic rice production and the country’s needs, the report said.