KUALA LUMPUR. Aug 7: Malaysia will implement measures to boost food production with a view to reducing the nations' trade deficit, its Agriculture Minister Sulaiman Daud said yesterday, reports Xinhua.

The ministry would hold discussions with its agencies, farmers organisations and fishermen's associations to find the appropriate measures. He said after launching the national farmers, livestock farmers and fishermen day in Petal-ing Jaya near here.

Malaysia imported 11 billion ringgit (about 2.657 billion US dollars) worth of food materials last year compared to 10 billion ringgit (about 2.415 billion US dollars) in 1996.

The minister said food imports in the first four months of the year went down by 11.2 per cent to 1.64 billion tons compared to 1.85 billion tons during the same period last year.

This was because the people's response to the government’s call for producing their own food was encouraging as in the first four months of the year. 8.240 hydroponics containers had been sold at the ministry's farming complex.

However, he said the value of the imports during the period under review rose to 2.38 billion ringgit (about 0.574 billion US dollars) from 1.85 billion ringgit (about 0.446, billion US ' dollars) due tothe depreciation of the ringgit.

According to the minister, the import of tropical fruits went down by 96 per cent, live fish down by 33.7 per cent, beef by 18.2 per cent, soya bean curd by 18.4 per cent, farm feed by 15.9 per cent, sugar by 12.4 per cent and livestock by 10 per cent.

But during the same period, the import of rice went up by 13.5 per cent of 209.000 tons worth 311 million ringgit (about 75.12 million US dollar) compared to 184.000 tons worth 181 million ringgit (about 43.719 million US dollars) during the first four months of 1997. he said.