KUALA LUMPUR – Pakatan Harapan (PH) has called on the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry (Mafi) to publish the National Food Security Policy Action Plan 2021-2025 document for the benefit of the public.
It said that since the plan was mentioned middle of last year, details of its recommended strategies and initiatives have been absent, let alone a progress report to track its implementation and effectiveness.
It said this in the PH Budget 2023 Strategy Document released today ahead of the government’s tabling of Budget 2023 on Friday.
In the section on proofing the nation against future disruptions, the coalition stressed that there is a need to address food costs and security issues.
“Rising food prices have been a cause for concern for ordinary Malaysians in recent months,” it said in the document.
“In the longer term, beneath the surface of soaring prices of goods we see today lies a larger issue of food insecurity which may require a longer timeframe to be addressed.
“Malaysia’s self-sufficiency levels of many food items namely beef, mutton, round cabbage and others have declined over the decade since 2011, making us increasingly dependent on imports to satisfy domestic consumption.”
On spurring trade and investments, PH called for more strategic funds that strengthen the capacity of Malaysian-owned companies to engage in domestic direct investment.
This should be in the same spirit as the Domestic Investment Strategic Fund (DISF), allowing domestic companies to upgrade machinery equipment, increase research and development activities, upskill talent through training initiatives and achieve international certification of their products.
It also proposed more export incentives to encourage international trade, such as tax incentives for a triple deduction on expenditures related to business trips to promote exports. Grants and incentives should also be provided for online advertisements or marketing campaigns of local companies to increase their overseas sales.
There is also a need to “Further extend the Special Reinvestment Allowance (RA) from 15 years to 20 years, to help existing manufacturers improve competitiveness and productivity through continual upgrading, expansion, and diversification during this recovery period,” it added.
The coalition said that Budget 2023 should focus on sustaining government spending as Malaysia moves beyond recovery efforts to also build its resilience towards future disruptions.
The measures outlined in the strategy document are built upon the SCRIPT Policy
The framework introduced by PH chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim focuses on the key drivers of “Sustainability, Care and Compassion, Respect, Innovation, Prosperity, and Trust”, it stressed.
“These are the main ingredients of our recipe to heal the nation and progress into a brighter future.
The proposals in the document are also in line with the spirit of the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP), which will be approaching its halfway mark in 2023, it added
The budget must push the 12MP’s agenda of resetting the economy, while maintaining focus on progressive ideals of social security, wellbeing, inclusivity, and sustainability, the coalition stressed. – The Vibes, October 5, 2022
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