Minister says gamma irradiation may help with food security

 

A total of 46 technological solutions have been identified to help handle food security issues, said Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister Dr Adham Baba.

"Mosti (Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation) is offering a list of technology inventories… that can be used immediately," he said in a statement today.

He said the expertise of more than 800 scientists from the Academy of Sciences Malaysia could also be used to identify and match the best technology-based solutions.

To improve crop productivity, he said one of the technologies that can be used is gamma irradiation to generate new crop varieties.

The use of fertilisers based on nanotechnology will also allow the release of nutrients in a controlled manner, thereby reducing the use of fertilisers and increasing food supply, he said.

Adham said Mosti and its agencies are actively conducting research and development (R&D) to help address food security issues with technology-based solutions.

The Malaysian Nuclear Agency, he said, is conducting R&D on grass mutation breeding methods, for example the production of new varieties of Napier grass with higher protein content as the main food of livestock such as cattle and goats, he said.

Operations Room set up

Apart from R&D activities, he said Mosti also set up a Technology Solutions Operations Room recently as a proactive measure to address food security issues in the country.

"Through this operations room, the supply chain in the ecosystem will be connected between key players such as entrepreneurs, industry, and academics to help address current issues in the country," he said.

Meanwhile, Mosti secretary-general Zainal Abidin Abu Hassan said the operations room had also identified the use of artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), biotechnology, and nanotechnology to resolve food security issues in the short, medium, and long term.

He said Mosti will hold engagement sessions with breeder associations and farmers as well as technology companies to gather input to help address food security issues.

- Bernama