KOTA BARU: The study report on the effects of the United States-Iran conflict on the country's food security is expected to be ready next week, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu.
The Agriculture and Food Security Minister said officers from the ministry's food security and international divisions had been instructed to examine whether the tensions would impact oil prices and the country's food export commodities.
"The majority of our food imports came from Asean countries, India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and China which were the main trading partners in the country's agriculture," he said while speaking at the launching of the Karnival Cahaya Aidilfitri Usahawan KPKM and Majlis Iftar Kasih at the Rural Transformation Centre, Tunjong, here on Friday (March 6).
Commenting further, Mohamad said he was confident that if there were any effects of the conflict, they might not be significant, considering that trade with Middle Eastern countries was more focused on the oil sector.
"Whether any increase in oil prices would have a cascading effect on food prices, we would wait for the full report from the officials next week," he said.
On Thursday (March 5), Mohamad said the ongoing US-Iran conflict in the Middle East had not yet affected the country's food supply security because most of Malaysia's food import sources did not involve either of these countries. – Bernama
