The inability to introduce staple food alternatives, a lack of interest among the young to venture into farming, and the lack of awareness on research and agriculture technology continues to hamper Malaysia’s plans to be a food-secure nation.
Some 60 per cent of our food is imported. In 2020, food imports amounted to RM55.5 billion.
Earlier this month, Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said the government, through government-linked companies (GLCs) under the Ministry of Finance, is looking to rent or lease idle state land to implement modern agricultural projects.
The announcement, however, is not new.
In June last year, then prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said food security committees would be formed at both state, and district levels, to implement the National Food Security Policy Action Plan 2021-2025.
The former prime minister had also announced that the allocation of more land would be done by gazetting agricultural land as reserved land under the National Land Code. Such parcels of land would be leased for 10 to 21 years.
The then government had also said that land involved in agriculture would also be alienated to state government subsidiaries. These tracts of land would later be leased to farmers for a 30-year period.
Other plans included state authorities being empowered to approve temporary occupational licences (TOL) of at least three years with subsequent renewals, and permanent food production parks would be gazetted and developed.
A ranking official from a government ministry involved in agriculture said food security is not just about producing crops, but producing seedlings as well.
“If we cannot produce seedlings, then we should not talk about food security,” said the official.
He said there was also a need to urgently look at alternatives to staple food.
“We often talk about producing and increasing our staple food production. But why are we not talking about producing food besides rice?
“During the Japanese occupation, people relied on tapioca. How many tapioca farms are there in Malaysia?” he asked.
He said the implications would be significant if the nation goes to war, or if another potentially deadly virus spreads across the world.
“This would mean that nations cannot import and export food. But nations can barter trade food. While Indonesia can give us rice, what does Malaysia have to offer to them? We have palm oil, but they have palm oil, too.
“If Malaysia is serious about food security, it must start thinking about the worst case scenario that could happen to the nation and its people if we are unable to sustain our food production.”
The expert also added that if the younger generation does not get involved in the agriculture sector now, there will not be food security in Malaysia in the next five to 10 years.
“We must also ask ourselves if we are doing enough research and development in food technology. If we are investing in it, why have we been talking about food insecurity for the last few years?” he said.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations secretary-general, Datuk Paul Selvaraj said it was baffling that Malaysia, a nation rich in resources, had been underinvesting in agriculture over the years.
“It’s a structural issue. Our import bill is nearing RM60 billion now. When our import bill is high and our currency is weak, we will really get hit,” said Selvaraj.
Selvaraj noted that while conversations on how Malaysia plans to become a food-secure nation had been gaining momentum over the last two to three years, “things do not seem to be moving”.
“Every time there is a new government, there will be some new plans. But are we really moving forward?” he questioned.
“The competitions commission has also said that they have done a food supply chain analysis and that there are a lot of monopolistic practices, such as price manipulation. We have also been talking about this for a long time,” he said.
“The cost of food is increasing. Salaries are stagnated, and with inflation rising, people are feeling the squeeze. It’s time we get our act in order,” he said.
