GEORGE TOWN, Nov 19 — Penang is adopting technology to strengthen food security in the state with the introduction of an urban farming concept to cultivate pineapples.

State agrotechnology, food security and cooperative development committee chairman Fahmi Zainol said the state is collaborating with the Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board to introduce an organic pineapple project with an urban farming concept.

“This is the first of its kind in Malaysia that allows organic pineapples to be grown in urban areas, residential zones, high-rise buildings and using plant bags,” he said in his winding-up speech in support of the Supply Bill at the state legislative assembly today.

He said the project promotes high-value premium crops to meet the growing market demand and using a futuristic approach, it meant that these pineapples will not be grown in only conventional farmland.

He said urban farming, using vertical farming technology, is now a modern approach to increase food production in urban areas with limited land.

“This is achieved through high-intensity vertical cultivation systems driven by automation and centralised control,” he said.

He said it is suitable for existing buildings such as warehouses, offices, shop lots, and even portable containers.

“This concept was practically demonstrated at the Peninsula House Restaurant, under Commons Farming, where they developed an indoor vertical farming model,” he said.

He said the country’s largest vertical farm, covering 52,000 square feet that opened in July this year at Nusajaya Industrial Park in Johor proves that modern farming can be implemented in metropolitan areas.

“If it can succeed in Johor, there is no reason Penang cannot become a new pioneer in the northern region of the country,” he said.

As for the livestock sector, he said the state has continued to implement the state livestock enactment to modernise the poultry and pig farming industries.

He said the state is committed to increasing livestock productivity in the state as according to the 2024 interim agricultural census, the livestock sector contributed 44 per cent (RM1.54 billion) of the state’s total agricultural revenue.

“The livestock output value has consistently exceeded RM1 billion annually since 2019, with a projection of RM1.91 billion for 2024,” he said.

He said the state is also pushing forward with the implementation of modern livestock systems to upgrade livestock farms to closed-house pens with buffer zones, zero-waste management and adherence to good farming practices.

“As of 2025, there are 101 pig farms with a population of 115,267 pigs, as compared to 106 farms and 161,882 pigs in 2024,” he said.

He said all farms have fully transitioned to closed-house systems, with Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) monitoring conducted regularly.

“Livestock waste in South Seberang Perai is sent to the Kampung Valdor Biogas Plant, integrating economic productivity with ecosystem sustainability,” he said.

In the poultry sector, he said there are 178 licensed farms with 14,110,000 birds.

“All farms with populations over 20,000 birds are required to upgrade to closed-house systems by 2030,” he said.

He said so far, 20 farms have been upgraded, while 18 are in progress.