A topic of discussion recently popular not only among the world leaders but households as well is insufficient food. A shortage of rice hit the country a few years back, and the fact is the price of the basic commodity has risen significantly that it has greatly affected the people especially those in the low-income category.

Based on the record, about 63 percent of rice for domestic use is produced in Malaysia, and the rest has to be imported from other countries to meet the demand.

However, India has recently made a shocking announcement that it has decided to cease supplying rice to several countries including Malaysia and focus more on its local market.

Reliance of imported rice has affected Malaysia’s basic food stock, and the country is now forced to find a solution to save itself from the crisis.

The government has taken various initiatives, such as making an optimum use of the paddy field and conducting R&D to produce local rice, but the process takes too long.

The rice shortage crisis is further compounded by the extreme climate change coupled with unpredictable weather, which has stunted paddy’s growth due to extended draught and continuous rain.

The situation becomes worse when the rice paddy is threatened by pomacea snails at a large scale, leading to a bigger implication towards domestic rice supply.

The breeding of the snails needs to be prevented to ensure the country’s rice production is at the optimum level, said Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) researcher Assoc. Prof. Dr. Wahizatul Afzan Azmi.

“Pomacea snails are invasive animals originating outside of Malaysia. They were brought into the country as food and aquarium pets, but now they have become the most threatening invasive alien species (IAS) that can cause serious damages to paddy crops around the world.

“To overcome the snail population problem, we have conducted research and produced a substance called MeT-GAS, which is a form of fungus that is toxic to snails. It can kill the snails by attacking the animals’ internal system such as digestive, reproductive, pulmonary sac, and hepatopancreas organs, said the entomology expert at the Faculty of Fisheries and Food Science, UMT.

The snails have destroyed about 17,000 hectare of paddy crops, which have affected the farmers, she said.

The research has undergone the laboratory test phase and the product will be used on a large scale once it passes the specified standards, she added.

“Thus far, the substance has been environmental friendly, has not affected other living organisms around the area, and has maintained the ecosystem’s sustainability.”

Besides being easy to use, the innovative product can be produced on a large scale at a minimum cost, Dr. Wahizatul said.

“After using the product, paddy may be harvested to the maximum, which will help maintain the stability of rice prices at the domestic market,” she said.

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Corporate Communications Office

Universiti Malaysia Terengganu