KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 — The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry (MAFS) remains committed to ensuring national food security while safeguarding the environment and public health, said its Deputy Minister Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup today.
He said the ministry has conducted a series of discussions and engagement sessions with various stakeholders, including the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry (NRES) and Health Ministry (MOH), in amending the Crop Seed Quality Bill.
He said NRES has emphasised the need to balance agricultural practices with biodiversity conservation, and the bill has been designed to minimise risks to biological diversity and ecosystems through sustainable agricultural guidelines.
“The Bill will be read in conjunction with other legislation, including the Access to Biological Resources and Benefit-Sharing Act 2017 and the Protection of New Plant Varieties Act 2004,” he said during a special chamber session at Parliament today.
He was responding to a supplementary question from Chiew Choon Man (PH-Miri), who asked whether the ministry had consulted NRES and MOH in drafting the amendments and if the government was open to further stakeholder engagement.
Arthur further emphasised that the Department of Agriculture takes pesticide residue issues seriously, particularly violations of maximum residue limits under the Pesticides Act 1974.
He added that MOH ensures all agricultural inputs, including pesticide use, comply with safety standards stipulated under the Food Act 1983.
“If pesticide residue exceeds the permitted level, the affected commodities will be destroyed, and owners may face prosecution and penalties under the Food Act 1983,” he said.
Meanwhile, he noted that the proposed amendments to the Bill will be presented to the Parliamentary Select Committee before being tabled in the Dewan Rakyat.
“MAFS is also open to holding public consultations if necessary and will continue providing regular updates to ensure the public has accurate and reliable information,” he added.
— Bernama
