ISMAIL Sabri Yaakob has called for an end to the use of middlemen in the agriculture sector and food supply chain as part of efforts to control the cost of living due to rising inflation.

The prime minister said middlemen exploit the hard work of farmers and fishermen and manipulate market prices.

Ismail said he himself had waged war against middlemen through the War Against Middlemen campaign in 2014 while helming the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry.

“The National Farmers Organisation (Nafas) must continue this fight through strategies such as creating padi purchasing and fruit collection centres and also by starting more farmers’ and fishermen’s markets,” he said. 

The prime minister said this in his speech at a dinner before officiating at Nafas’ annual general meeting in Kuala Lumpur tonight, which was also attended by Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Ronald Kiandee.

Ismail said food inflation is a global phenomenon due to the disruption of the food supply chain caused by the Covid-19 pandemic that curbed agricultural activities, which reduced food exports, and this situation worsened when the Russia-Ukraine war broke out.

“The war has threatened the delivery of some of the world’s staple crops, causing food inflation to worsen. Concerns of insufficient food supply is a global issue, not only in Malaysia,” he said.

He also expressed concern that if the war continues, the effects, such as on the price of fertilisers, pesticides and so on, could worsen. 

Ismail said the rise in the inflation rate is a global phenomenon that is also experienced by most countries due to disruptions to the food supply chain.

However, Ismail said, Malaysia currently has an inflation rate of 2.2%, lower than other countries including the United States (8.5%), the United Kingdom (7%), Singapore (5.4%), Australia (4.5%) and Indonesia (2.6%).

He also expressed commitment that problems faced by the farming community, especially in the current global situation that has resulted in an increase in the costs of raw materials, will always be given due attention by the government.

Ismail said the government wants Nafas and the Farmers Organisation Authority to implement a paradigm shift to ensure the country has adequate food supply.

He said the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry was also instructed to prepare long- and short-term plans to prevent a food crisis in the country.

He urged Nafas to breathe new life into the agro-based food sector through the application of technology and digitalisation in order to increase agricultural production and reduce dependence on food imports.

He also drew the public’s attention with the announcement that the government had agreed to abolish approved permits to bring in staple foods from foreign countries with immediate effect.

“This allows all parties to import basic food items into Malaysia and avoid monopoly by certain groups or cartels that ultimately manipulate prices,” he said – Bernama, May 18, 2022.