https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/shortage-of-local-rice-in-malaysia-due-to-diseases-and-lack-of-clean-water
This has forced Malaysian consumers to buy the more expensive imported variety. Read more at straitstimes.com.
When it comes to agriculture in Malaysia, one cannot separate it from FELDA. Now, I'm lazy to dig the history of budget on just how much the government pump tax payers money into it since its' establishment decades ago. Then, comes the promises that the government will forgo all the debt incurred by farmers who are members of the club FELDA. I don't know the figures, but one can assume it is astronomical.
Then, another promise that RM1 Billion will be channeled to FELDA annually for the next 10 years, total RM10 Billion.
And after all the 'milking', this is the state of local produces, heavy dependent on imports, and now lack of clean water, what the actual fucking fuck.
It sounds like a classic ponzi scheme for never ending funding that will never yield any results, but a black hole of cronyism.