Malaysia and the factors that influence its seed industry: Natural resources, policies, market and fundings
Malaysia, situated in Southeast Asia, is a relatively small country of 33 million hectares of land, and with a total cultivable area estimated in 14.2 million ha. However, in 2013, only 53% of it was cultivated. Remarkably enough, in 2012, 67% of the whole land used under agriculture was destined...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://eprints.unisza.edu.my/5432/1/FH02-FESP-17-11188.pdf http://eprints.unisza.edu.my/5432/ |
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| Summary: | Malaysia, situated in Southeast Asia, is a relatively small country of 33 million hectares of land, and with a total cultivable
area estimated in 14.2 million ha. However, in 2013, only 53% of it was cultivated. Remarkably enough, in 2012, 67% of the whole
land used under agriculture was destined for oil palm plantations. Likewise, Malaysia has been recognized as one of the twelve
mega-diversity countries of the world, thanks to its rich variety of species and diverse number of ecosystems. Furthermore, as
Malaysia lies in the equatorial zone, the average temperature throughout the entire year is 26 °C; which is controlled by the northeast
and southwest monsoons, and consequently, receiving around 2,000 mm to 2,500 mm of rainfall annually. In addition, Malaysia has
an annual average of 990 billion m3
of water resources inside the entire territory. Moreover, as Malaysia realized the importance of
shifting into a knowledge-based economy, it’s now really focused on the development of human and intellectual capital in order to
produce adequate supply. In that way, under the Malaysia Education Blueprint from 2013 to 2015, a sum of RM 41.3 billion is
expected to be allocated in 2016, to improve the quality of education. Conjointly, the agriculture in Malaysia is a fundamental piece
in the country’s economy, contributing to the National Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as in 2013 this sector employed more than
1.6 million people. On the other hand, in Malaysia two distinct Agricultural Policies have been established to give strategic direction
to the agricultural sector: The Policy before Independence (1948-1957) and The Policy after the independence (1957-2020) (which is
as well, formed by several policies). In conjunction, as Malaysia aspires to become a developed country, it nourishes its research
culture; being the public sector an important contributor for the agricultural research funding. Notwithstanding, a substantial factor
that has contributed in the development of the seed industry in Malaysia, is the fact of having the “Legislation” in place; with the
establishment of the Protection of New Plant Varieties (PNPV) Act, which came into force in October of 2008. To finalize, Malaysia
is now certainly facing limitations towards the development of the seed industry, which are: lack of new local varieties, lack of
mandatory seed quality control system, unorganized information of the seed industry, inadequate number of trained personnel in the
seed industry, lack of private sector involvement. |
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