PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia recorded a score of 61.5 in the Malaysian Food Security Index 2024, an increase from 54.5 in 2023, indicating that the country's food security level is on the right track.
Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr. Mohd Uzir Mahidin said that from the four main dimensions evaluated, accessibility recorded the highest score of 79.9, followed by stability (54.6), usability (50.4) and availability (50).
He said that the high accessibility score indicates that Malaysia does not face problems in obtaining food supplies because the shortfall in domestic production can still be compensated via imports.
However, he said, the dimension of availability, particularly domestic production, still has a lot of room for improvement.
"This is why the future economic focus needs to emphasise strengthening the agricultural sector. I expect that this measure will further enhance the country's Food Security Index," he said at the Simfoni Data dan Media special discourse programme here Monday (July 6).
Mohd Uzir said that among the contributing factors to the increase in scores is the government's effort to expand the use of modern technology in the agricultural sector, including the Internet of Things (IoT) and drones.
He said the agricultural sector now needs to be strengthened through large-scale and more commercial economic development, but the effort should start on a small scale to ensure business sustainability.
Mohd Uzir said the preliminary report will be finalised after the improvement process, including the development of a digital dashboard to facilitate access to data and analysis of the country's food security.
Commenting on the global food security landscape, he said the world still faces challenges with the report The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2024 stating that approximately 673 million people worldwide still experience hunger, while more than 2.3 billion individuals experience moderate to severe food insecurity.
He added that the uncertainty of global food prices due to climate change, geopolitical conflicts, supply chain disruptions, and rising energy costs also affects food-importing countries like Malaysia through increased import costs. - Bernama
