State governments urged to protect paddy fields as rice self-sufficiency slips

PUTRAJAYA — State governments across Malaysia are being urged to gazette paddy-growing areas as the country's rice self-sufficiency rate continues to erode, raising concerns about the nation's ability to meet domestic demand for the staple grain.

The decline in self-sufficiency to 54.3 per cent reflects mounting pressure on agricultural land from competing commercial and residential development projects. Without formal protection through gazettal, paddy fields remain vulnerable to conversion for other uses, threatening the country's rice production capacity.

The gazetting of paddy land would create a legal framework to preserve agricultural areas dedicated to rice cultivation, ensuring that productive farmland is not lost to urban sprawl or alternative development schemes. State governments hold the primary responsibility for land-use planning and zoning regulations within their jurisdictions.

Official calls for action underscore growing recognition that Malaysia's reliance on rice imports—currently accounting for nearly half of domestic consumption—creates a potential vulnerability in food security. Analysts warn that without urgent intervention to protect existing paddy fields and boost productivity, the self-sufficiency gap could widen further in coming years.

The push for gazettal forms part of broader efforts to revitalize the agriculture sector and strengthen Malaysia's capacity for self-reliance in key food commodities.