ARAU, July 26 — Collaborations in agricultural research need to be intensified to speed up the process of producing new varieties of products, besides saving costs, says Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee.
He said without cooperation from all parties and agencies, research studies would not only take a long time, but also involve huge expenses.
“We cannot run away from holding research collaborations with other parties, because, for example, to produce a new variety of high-quality rice alone takes more than ten years and costs almost RM1 million,” he told reporters here today.
Earlier, the Raja of Perlis Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Jamalullail graced the ceremony of handing over the Hybrid Research Station of the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) Perlis-Yayasan Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin (YTSS).
The Raja Muda of Perlis Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail was also present.
Other notable attendees included Perlis Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azlan Man, State Agriculture Committee chairman Nurulhisham Yaakob, Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry secretary-general Datuk Haslina Abdul Hamid and MARDI director-general Datuk Dr Mohamad Zabawi Abdul Ghani.
Meanwhile, Ronald said MAFI had begun collaborating on joint research with other ministries such as the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), and hoped that the country’s agricultural sector would become more modern and advanced in terms of the application of technology, equipment, as well as research on new varieties of crops.
“We also hope that the agricultural sector will continue to contribute to the country’s economy,” he said.
