KUALA LUMPUR: As a result of Malaysia's growing agriculture sector and its leading position in Southeast Asia on food sustainability issues, the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has asked the country to lead a program to increase food production among Islamic countries. Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin told reporters the IDB fund manager and Chairman Abdullah El-Kuwaiz asked Malaysia to lead the mission when the two met on Friday. “Food is a critical matter and its supply is insufficient despite our population increasing by the billions. “Many Muslim countries are having hunger problems because of food shortage, so they have asked me to head a team to drive efforts on an agriculture project to produce food with IDB's help. “This shows that they recognise and highly regard Malaysia's capability,” he said at a breaking of the fast event. Yassin said “fruits of the agriculture program would not only be enjoyed by Malaysia but other Muslim countries worldwide.” The IDB, made up of 56 countries including Malaysia, is an international financial institution established in Saudi Arabia in 1975. It aims to stimulate economic and social development among member countries and the Muslim community based on Islamic principles. The deputy PM added that although Malaysia was a small country, “other Muslim nations sung praises about its achievements.” Yassin also said that the varied backgrounds and lifestyles in the country could create problems if not managed with care. “Let's not appear united but in reality we are not. Malaysia is a small nation so we need to unite. “Unity is important, especially among the Malay Muslim community. We don't want to split up into factions to the point of praying with two imams like in certain areas,” he added.
