The Federal Territories is looking at big-scale and indoor precision farming to produce high-quality vegetables as ways to enhance food security in the city.
Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa said he also planned to start a commercial-sized urban farm project in Putrajaya to help grow, collect, distribute and market agricultural products. “Urban farming is nothing new but I want to see urban farming that is commercial in nature and that incorporates modern farming techniques.
“I visited a few plots in Kuala Lumpur but the vegetables planted were mostly for personal consumption,” he said. “I want to encourage commercial-scale urban farming to reduce the import of certain foods”, he said.
Annuar also revealed his plan to introduce a mega-urban farm project in Precinct 20, Putrajaya. “We are still in the planning process and are looking at the collection, distribution and marketing of the products systematically."
“If possible, we want urban farms to register themselves with an online application that enables people to search and buy the vegetables via a digital platform. But now, I want to make sure that an anchor urban farming group which produces the biggest volume of agricultural products can take the lead in doing the marketing,” he added.
Currently, there are 45 locations in Kuala Lumpur doing urban farming.