M'sia needs to cultivate 1,447 hectares of onions to cut import dependency by 2030

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia needs to cultivate 1,447 hectares of onions nationwide to hit the 30 per cent reduction of the country’s dependence on imported onions by 2030, said the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI).

Its director-general, Datuk Dr Mohamad Zabawi Abdul Ghani, said that for this purpose, MARDI has initiated small-scale cultivation of three varieties of onions for this year and next, focusing on red onions.

“InsyaAllah, by 2026 we will expand the area of red onion cultivation for our short-term strategy (to help the government reduce red onion imports),” he said when met after appearing as a guest on Bernama Radio’s ‘Temu Bual Radio’ programme, here today.

Mohamad Zabawi said the cultivation of BAW-1, BAW-2, and BAW-3 red onion varieties is being carried out in several areas in Perak and Kelantan.

“We expect to see the first yield around April or early May,” he said, adding that the quality of these onion verities is comparable to imported red onions.

-- BERNAMA