PETALING JAYA: More sustainable ways to meet the growing global demand for food must clearly be developed, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah said today.
The Perak ruler said this would entail more intensive and less-damaging use of existing resources, as well as greater efficiency in all areas of production, distribution and consumption.
“Just as in other sectors, new technologies and other innovations will play a key role in driving these changes in the agricultural sector,“ he said.
“This transformation, will be led by people who will develop the processes and policies that will drive the sector forward successfully in this challenging context,“ he said in his royal address at the centenary conference of The Incorporated Society of Planters.
Sultan Nazrin said that commendable progress on sustainability had been made in the palm oil sector as a result of criticisms over the crop’s negative environmental impact. “However further efforts are still required,“ he said.
“This is necessary not just to respond to external criticisms or market restrictions, but also to limit further deforestation,“ he added.
The sultan said that when charting the future course of the sector, stakeholders should come up with an effective strategy to resolve the issue of sustainability.
