PUTRAJAYA needs to act fast to prevent a food crisis as the current pattern of relying on imports is not sustainable, said Daim Zainuddin.

As the country is not currently facing food shortage, the government must seriously look into the matter, the former finance minister told the Edge Weekly.

He said as the industry is neglected, food imports have shot up and the bill this year is almost RM60 billion.

“Since the 1980s, the Malaysian economy has grown at an unprecedented rate. However, as people flocked to manufacturing and assembly, the agricultural sector was neglected.”

The former Council of Eminent Persons chairman said that the government must quickly turn the tide before it is too late.

According to reports, Malaysia’s food import bill shot up from RM10.5 billion in 1998 to RM51.28 billion in 2017.

Food exports also increased from RM6.15 billion in 1998 to RM 31.84 billion in 2017.

According to statistics, Malaysia imported more produce than it exported, Daim said.

“The amount of onions, garlic and chillies imported is shocking. These are basic ingredients for every household and every restaurant is buying kilos of it.”

According to Khazanah Research Institute report by Prof Jomo Kwame Sundram and KRI research adviser Tan Zhai Gen, the import of vegetables rose from 79,000 tonnes in 1961 to 1.1 million in 2013. 

Daim said it’s crucial for the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) to link hypermarkets, cooperatives, restaurants and hotels with farmers to address what is lacking in the market.

“Farmers should look at planting ginger, chillies, onions, cabbage, cucumbers and fruits.

“We are importing far too much of these items. While Fama is promoting local products, more needs to be done.”

Locally grown food means that it needs to be travel a short distance, while retaining its freshness, he said.

Daim said another area that needs to be looked at by the government is the role of the middlemen.

“This problem persists because the farmers are not well off. Middleman are taking a huge cut of the profits and the farmers don’t get a fair price.

“If they offer services, such as transportation and storage then it is acceptable, but they are not.

“The government must step in to provide these services at reasonable prices and it will be able to lower the food prices.”

The government, he said, needs a clear plan and key performance indicators to prevent a food crisis from occurring.

“Singapore is rated No. 1 for food security which has hardly any agriculture while Malaysia with its abundance of land is rated 40 worldwide.

“The government needs to take this issue seriously if it is to grow economically.” – November 10, 2019.