THE MCA Agricultural Bureau has called for the government to prioritise addressing the critical issue of food security in the country.

Bureau chairman Tan Chong said the government’s long-standing practice of incurring significant food imports expenses, coupled with its dependence on them, poses a double threat as the approach not only undermines the livelihoods of local farmers but also burdens the government with significant financial strain.

Tan said this in response to Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, in a written Dewan Rakyat reply on Wednesday (Feb 28), said that Malaysia’s total agricultural food imports from January to November 2023 amounted to RM71.6 bil.

Tan, citing Mohamad’s statement, called this a “disturbing figure” that highlighted Malaysia’s over-reliance on food imports and the serious crisis in food security.

“If Malaysia continues to rely on food imports, the country will face an increasingly heavy financial burden and even risk bankruptcy,” the MCA leader stressed.

“The government’s lack of a comprehensive long-term strategy for national food security is concerning. Its piecemeal approach fails to address the underlying structural problems threatening domestic food security.

“This reactive approach leaves Malaysia vulnerable to global commodity supply shocks, potentially leading to sharp increases in essential food prices.”

Tan said if this trend continues, basic food items such as rice, meat, meat products and grain products makes the country dangerously susceptible to global disruptions in commodity supply.

“If an exporting country experiences crop failures or crises and halt exports, the brunt of the consequences will fall on food-importing nations like Malaysia,” he added. - March 1, 2024 

https://focusmalaysia.my/mca-rm71-6-bil-spent-on-food-imports-exposes-national-food-security-vulnerability/