RM300mil savings a year if local onion cultivation succeeds, says Mat Sabu

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia can save about RM300 million a year if its onion cultivation projects succeed, says agriculture and food security minister Mohamad Sabu.

Mohamad said the Selangor Agricultural Development Corporation’s rose onion cultivation project has been performing well, with yields reaching about four tonnes an acre.

He said the distribution of rose onion seeds to interested parties would begin either at the end of this year or early next year to help meet the savings target.

“In 2021, Malaysia imported 484,867 metric tonnes of onions worth RM902.5 million to meet consumer demand. India was the largest supplier, contributing 57%, followed by China (20%) and Pakistan (11%).

“If we manage to produce 30% of the onion supply locally, we could save RM300 million in import costs,” Bernama quoted him as telling reporters at the Selangor Fruit Valley today.

He said Penang and Kelantan have also shown promising results in onion cultivation.

“We are also exploring other states suitable for onion farming, and our research agencies are looking into the feasibility of large onion cultivation as well,” he said.