SHAH ALAM: Asean food-supplying countries have pledged their commitment to prioritise the export of food commodities to member countries facing shortages, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu (pic).
The Agriculture and Food Security Minister said the commitment was one of the important decisions reached during the ongoing 45th Asean Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) Meeting.
“We discussed the issue of food security; for example, if there is a shortage among Asean countries, we hope that other Asean countries can quickly step in to provide support,” he said to reporters after visiting the Shah Alam National Botanical Garden (TBNSA) with the delegations here yesterday, Bernama reported.
They include delegations from Japan and South Korea as members of the Asean Plus 3, as well as Timor-Leste as an observer of Asean.
Mohamad said his Thai counterpart had also given Thailand’s commitment to expedite the supply of rice and chicken to Malaysia if necessary and according to its capacity.
“If we want to get supplies from Brazil, it might take some time, but with Thailand, we can get chicken in less than a week if we need it, and the same goes for rice.
“The (Thai) minister said that as long as they have the capacity, they will continue to sell their rice to Malaysia, and Vietnam, as a rice producer, has also expressed their prioritisation of Asean countries,” he said.
On the visit to the botanical garden, Mohamad said the relevant parties need to intensify promotion to attract more local and foreign tourists to the area.
The botanical garden is located within the Bukit Cherakah Permanent Forest Reserve area and has been designated for federal purposes.
Currently, about 200ha have been developed for conservation, research, education, exploration, and agrotourism purposes, managed by TBNSA, under the purview of the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry.
