KUALA LUMPUR – The Covid-19 crisis has shown the multifaceted and interconnected nature of the food system, highlighting the need to think about food security and agrofood policy in broader terms, said Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee.
“The Covid-19 crisis has served to highlight the importance of the agricultural and food sectors, and while Malaysia has not been among the worst-hit countries, and worst-case scenarios have not been played out, households’ loss of income and responses to uncertainty have created volatility in food markets.
“By strengthening its agrofood system, Malaysia will be better able to pursue other national priorities, including that of Shared Prosperity Vision,” he said at an event here today.
Ronald said by introducing measures designed to enhance farmers’ incomes, creating agricultural jobs and raising agro-exports, agriculture in Malaysia could be made a more powerful engine for shared prosperity through better distribution and equitable growth at different levels.
He said Malaysia has large, under-exploited potential to serve the varied demands of a modern agrofood economy, both domestically and regionally.
“The 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) is an opportunity for Malaysia to clearly lay out the agricultural sector’s potential and the role of government in facilitating its transformation...the plan, which is being finalised and will be tabled next year, will give Malaysia not only a chance to sustain its existing level of commitment, but also to redouble its belief in the potential of the agricultural and food economy.
Ronald said the 12MP could also be used as a roadmap to develop a modern peri-urban farm sector connected to urban markets with advanced logistics.
He said Malaysia could also position itself to lead in the supply of “healthy and safe” produce to the region and have more investment in human capital, which will be needed to transform the country’s agrofood complex.
“This includes training and attracting the next generation of agrofood system entrepreneurs across a wide variety of disciplines,” he said, adding that as of last year, agriculture accounted for about 11% of employment and 7.1% of Malaysia’s gross domestic product. – Bernama, December 17, 2020
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