Ensuring food security needs to be top priority

“TELUR tak ada?” Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim appeared to make this joke when greeting Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu at a special Cabinet meeting in Putrajaya on Monday.

Giving Mohamad a wry smile while shaking his hand, he quipped: “Ini telur tak ada? (This one has no eggs?)”

As funny as the double entendre was, for many, the shortage of eggs is no laughing matter.

What’s more, the current northeast monsoon season is expected to cause a shortage of fish and fresh vegetables, not to mention the possible shortage of other foodstuff due to the protracted war in Ukraine.

Food tops the list of items that eat into most Malaysians’ monthly budgets. And apart from the high cost of living, many Malaysians cite the high prices of essential goods, especially food, as their main worry.

With a new government comes hope that Malaysia’s food security will be given top priority.

On Friday, Mohamad’s ministry had a meeting with Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub and his team to discuss the egg supply issue.

However, the government should not only address short-term problems such as the current egg shortage. It is imperative that we have a long-term plan to tackle the country’s food insecurity.

Five years ago, Malaysia ranked 40th on the Global Security Food Index (GSFI) as it relied heavily on imports for essential food products.

Now, Malaysia is in 41st position on the GSFI. The statistics are worrying.

According to the Statistics Department, between 2017 and 2021, Malaysian households spent RM33.7bil annually on imports of food and beverages.

In 2022, imports of food and beverages for consumption and industry had exceeded RM38.5bil and RM31bil, respectively.

In 2020, eight items recorded an import dependency ratio exceeding 50%: cuttlefish (52.2%), fresh milk (53.5%), round cabbage (63.6%), chillies (72.4%), beef (78.1%), ginger (81.5%), mangoes (86.2%), and mutton (90.4%).

The country does not produce enough food for its population and industries; its agricultural productivity is 45% of the average among high-income countries.

We need to rethink the development of the agriculture sector to mitigate the impact of ever-rising food prices and cut down on increasing food import bills.

And this is not impossible: Malaysia recorded 26 agricultural items with more than 100% self-sufficiency ratio (SSR) in 2021 – compared to 19 in 2020.

While these agricultural commodities include cash crops, selected vegetables, crops and livestock such as duck meat, production of freshwater catfish and mackerel has also increased to meet local needs.The National Food Security Policy Action Plan (NFSPAP) 2021-2025 has identified five strategic thrusts and outlined various initiatives to transform food production in the country in a holistic manner.

Crucially, for the plan to work, there must be political commitment and robust execution.

Ensuring food security and expanding food production while reducing imports have to be among the top priorities for the new government, and a good place to start will be with the NFSPAP 2021-2025.