KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 9 — Budget 2023 has more allocations for the agriculture sector and will aim to have more people involved at the grassroots level in agricultural production, Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli said today.
The Budget, which will be tabled later this month, will also have the sustainability of the ecosystem as a focus, he told reporters at the launch of the World Bank’s Malaysia Economic Monitor February 2023 Edition “Expanding Malaysia's Digital Frontier”.
“God willing, the Budget will have announcements regarding this,” he said.
He said two days after the tabling of the Budget, the relevant ministries including his will announce the related programmes.
But he added that he cannot disclose the total of allocations and the form they will take as he cannot precede the Budget.
“All I can say is that there are bigger allocations for the agriculture sector compared to previous years and that programmes to get more people involved in the agricultural production sector at the grassroots level,” he said.
However, efforts are being made towards ensuring that the programmes are also sustainable.
“The challenges faced in previous years is that people will plant just once and then they don’t want to do it anymore,” he explained.
But the government also needs to be involved in order to help in “connecting the dots” between the agricultural producers, especially lower-skilled ones, and off-takers and the market, he said.
The new Budget 2023 is set to be tabled on Feb 24, said a report from the national news agency Bernama.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the finance minister, reportedly said that the Budget will take tackle present economic challenges along with ensuring the country’s continued growth and attracting investments.
