Efforts must be made to create groundwater storage systems to ensure there is a continuous supply of water in order for the padi and rice industry to remain efficient and productive, should there be a water crisis in the future, which could threaten food security in the country.

Agriculture and Food Industry Ministry (MAFI) Padi and Rice Regulatory Division director-general Azman Mahmood said the current irrigation system only depended on rainwater or existing dams, but this method needs to be changed in the face of water crises, which is feared to occur not only in Malaysia but globally as well, with climate change.

Therefore, he said...