(From left) MARDI Cameron Highland Station Head Azlan Azizi Muhamad Nor, Mohamad Zabawi, Azman and MARDI Soil Science Research Centre Director Dr Rosliza Jajuli.
KUALA LUMPUR: Organic agriculture is a holistic and sustainable food production system and plays an important role in supporting ecological balance and the well-being of the people.
According to the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) Dr Azman Ismail, this sector should be placed as a main pillar of the country's food system, in line with the Malaysian MADANI policy framework and the Sustainable Development Goals 2050.
"To date, less than 1 percent of agricultural land in Malaysia has been certified organic. However, initiatives such as the organic paddy project in Kelantan have proven successful results without the use of synthetic chemical inputs. This shows the great potential of organic agriculture if managed systematically and sustainably," he said at the 2025 National Seminar on Organic Agriculture (SKOr) in Selangor.
Since its introduction in 2003, the Malaysian Organic Certification Scheme (myOrganic) has recognised more than 700 hectares of agricultural land nationwide. To support organic farming, MARDI also operates myOrganic certified organic farms and functions as a research, training and demonstration centre for organic farming technology.
SKOr 2025, which runs until 25 September, is a platform for constructive dialogue that allows participants to share knowledge, technology and experience in driving the organic farming agenda in Malaysia. Organised by MARDI in strategic collaboration with PETRONAS, the Selangor state government, University of Malaya and the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA), this seminar carries the theme of Sustainability and Food Security through Organic Farming Innovation.
The seminar also features paper presentations, innovation exhibitions and panel discussion sessions involving industry figures and academics. In conjunction with this seminar, MARDI also launched a new technological innovation known as CabbioShield, which is a nutrient-enriched, environmentally friendly biopesticide, developed to combat soft rot disease in cabbage plants, one of the main problems affecting leafy vegetable yields in the country.
CabbioShield is formulated with a local active microbial inoculant (Streptomyces sp.) and is produced in tablet form for easy application at the base of the plant. Registered under MARDI’s trade secret, it has been proven to reduce soft rot attacks by up to 77.4 percent and increase marketable yield by 55.8 percent. By combining the functions of biopesticide and fertilization simultaneously, this product is more efficient, cost-effective and suitable for use on both conventional and organic cabbage plants.
The launch of CabbioShield further strengthens MARDI’s commitment to developing local technological solutions that support organic and conventional agriculture simultaneously with a sustainable, environmentally friendly and economically viable approach.
Also present at the event was MARDI Director General Dato’ Dr Mohamad Zabawi Abdul Ghani, senior officials from the ministry, agencies and industry players.
