THE government has agreed not to impose with immediate effect the approved permit (AP) requirement to import foodstuff into the country, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said. 

He said this decision was reached at the cabinet meeting chaired by him today towards ensuring sufficient food supply in the country.

“This will enable all parties to import any food item into the country,” he told reporters after attending an Aidilfitri celebration hosted by the Prime Minister’s Department at Puspanitapuri in Putrajaya.

Ismail said the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry (Mafi) will later announce details on the AP matter. 

“Previously, there were APs to import beef and cattle, but from today, these are no longer required and anyone can import any food item to ensure sufficient supply,” he added.

Earlier media reports had stated Malaysia would be facing a serious food crisis if various problems such as inflation, oil price increase, extreme weather conditions, the Covid-19 pandemic and conflict between Russia and Ukraine continued.

Annually, Malaysia has been recording over RM50 billion on importing basic foodstuff such as rice at 30%, beef (78%), lamb (almost 90%) and cabbage (60%). 

Ismail said he had also ordered Mafi to prepare short and long-term plans to avoid a food crisis in this country due to issues such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict. 

“We know that the whole world is worried, not just us, about the effects of the armed conflict that could cause food supply shortages. 

“Mafi has also been asked to take immediate measures over the rising cost of living in this country,” he said. 

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has had a worldwide impact where the inflation in several countries has risen.

On a chicken farming industry cartel reportedly planning to close their farms this weekend in protest against the delay of the subsidy payment of 60 sen on the chicken price, the prime minister said a certain procedure had reportedly caused the delay, so he had asked Mafi to speed up the payment. 

The closure of the farms will not only drive the chicken market price up but consumers will also be struggling to get the rationed chicken supply while the business operations of the suppliers will also be adversely affected. – Bernama, May 18, 2022.