PUTRAJAYA: The government has been urged to reactivate the special council on food security, which previously addressed food crises in the country.
National Recovery Council Chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the reactivation of the council would enable the government to increase food production in Malaysia, which was feeling the backlash from global disruption to food chains and supplies.
"This is a global problem and Malaysia is no exception in facing the effects of a somewhat declining food production sector post-pandemic. It has also led to a dip in essential supplies of foodstuff."
He said the National Recovery Council proposed the reactivation of the food security council to increase food production.
Muhyiddin said while some essential foods were produced in Malaysia, it however has not reached the level needed for local sufficiency .
"Because we have not reached that level, we still import and have to pay higher prices so consumers in the country have to bear the burden because of high food prices," he said.
He said this after chairing the National Recovery Council meeting at the Finance Ministry here today.
Muhyiddin said though Malaysia could produce its own foodstuffs, but the sector was not widely tapped.
"Among them is the use of technology and the supply of labour, these are all important aspects and even when Covid-19 it is endemic, we need to take immediate attention to address the issue," he said.
Muhyiddin said the reactivation of the food security council is not a solution, but it can be a crucial step to address the food problem faced by Malaysia.
"There are many issues related to the development of the food sector that can be focused, such as encouraging investors to improve the agricultural sector in the country and help address the problem of food security," he said.
On Sept 8, 2020, Muhyiddin, who was then the Prime Minister, chaired the first meeting of the Cabinet Committee on National Food Security Policy which agreed to the formation of the National Food Security Framework as recommended by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Under the framework, four clusters were setup under three ministries and one agency to highlight issues and proposed solutions in relation to the food supply chain and implementing identified strategies.
The clusters are the Availability Cluster under the Secretariat of the National Agricultural Advisory Council (MPPN) coming under the purview of the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry
and the Accessibility Cluster coming under the National Action Council on Cost of Living (Naccol) Secretariat parked under the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry.
The other two clusters are the Food and Nutrition Safety Cluster parked under the Secretariat of the National Food Safety and Nutrition Council (MKMPK) and the Health Ministry and the Stability and Sustainability Cluster under the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry and the National Security Council.