TAIPING - Six out of 11 main vegetable commodities in Perak recorded a Self-Sufficiency Ratio (SSR) of over 100 per cent, said state Rural Development, Plantation, Agriculture and Food Industries Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Zolkafly Harun.
He said the vegetables with the highest SSR were okra (ladies fingers) at 454 per cent, followed by long beans (275 per cent), cucumber (267 per cent), spinach (177 per cent), eggplant (162 per cent), and sawi (mustard leaves) (143 per cent).
"For crops that have achieved SSR, the focus will be on finding new markets and diversifying basic agricultural products with added value," he said at a press conference here today after officiating the Larut Matang and Selama (LMS) District Farm Day and the State-Level Vegetable Eating Campaign at the LMS Agriculture office here today.
The state government plans to improve the vegetable industry for crops which have not reached the SSR such as chili, ginger, and cabbage by increasing cultivation areas, he said adding that Perak produced 116,764 metric tonnes of vegetables cultivated across 6,702 hectares in 2022.
From the total number, Kinta stands as Perak's top vegetable producer, yielding around 69,372 metric tonnes from an area of 3,881 hectares.
Commenting on the programme, Mohd Zolkafly said the main objective is to promote vegetables as a vital part of everyone's diet, across all age groups in the state, and increasing market demand. - BERNAMA