SERDANG, June 10 (Bernama) -- Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) has reinforced its role in tropical agriculture and national food security with the launch of the two-day National Food Security Conference 2025 (PKMK2025), which began today.
UPM Vice-Chancellor Datuk Prof Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah said the latest edition of PKMK builds on the success of previous conferences and serves as the country’s key platform for discussing current issues, policies, and challenges in food security.
“In collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM), this conference acts as a strategic platform to connect the public and private sectors, researchers and the community towards building a more sustainable and competitive agri-food system,” he said in his opening speech at the conference held at UPM.
PKMK2025 was officiated by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup and attended by UPM Board of Directors Chairman Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Ibrahim Komoo, UPM Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) Prof Dr Zamberi Sekawi and Director of the Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security (ITAFoS), Prof Dr Anjas Asmara Samsudin.
Ahmad Farhan noted that the conference aligns with national goals outlined in the National Agrofood Policy 2021–2030 (NAP 2.0) and the National Food Security Policy Action Plan 2021–2025, both of which emphasise the need for a sustainable and innovative agri-food system.
Meanwhile, Anjas Asmara highlighted that beyond policy discussions and collaboration, PKMK2025 also prioritises youth involvement in agriculture and the adoption of modern approaches such as smart farming.
He noted that industry players have raised concerns that agriculture graduates, including those from UPM, are not sufficiently familiar with smart farming practices.
“To address this, we have introduced a new programme, the Bachelor of Smart Agriculture Technology, aimed at producing highly skilled graduates equipped with modern technological expertise to enhance the sector’s efficiency,” he told Bernama.
He said the programme is designed to produce industry-ready graduates, particularly in handling cutting-edge technology used in agriculture and food security.
“Young people today are more inclined and quicker to adopt new technology compared to the current farming population, most of whom are over 50. Smart agriculture is the ideal entry point to attract them into the sector,” he added.
The conference brings together 680 participants, including policymakers, academics, researchers, government agencies, non-governmental organisations, entrepreneurs and postgraduate students.
It also features research presentations through abstract and poster competitions, as well as panel forums addressing critical issues.
Supporting the event, local company Aliyah Rizq Sdn Bhd stepped in as the main sponsor, contributing RM50,000, reflecting the private sector’s commitment to sustainable food security development.
-- BERNAMA
