Agriculture and Food Security Ministry studying proposal to set up special agency to improve food security

KUALA LUMPUR - Agriculture and Food Security Ministry is looking into the proposal to set up a special agency to improve food security as a national agenda.

Its deputy minister Chan Foong Hin said the idea to establish the agency came up at a National Action Council on Cost of Living (NACCOL) meeting earlier this year as one of the initiatives to tackle cost of living issues.

He said that a preliminary study conducted by the ministry found the establishment of a national food security agency should encompass four main aspects, namely the elements of availability; accessibility; food security; as well as stability and sustainability.

"Therefore, the establishment of a national food security agency requires further evaluation regarding the implications of legislation, finances, human resources, and adjustments to the functions and roles of ministries,” he said during a question and answer session at the Dewan Negara sitting today.

He said this in reply to a question from Senator Abdul Nasir Idris on whether the government intends to set up a Malaysia Food Agency in the effort to improve food security as a national agenda.

Chan said that in an effort to improve food security, the government is also adopting an inter-ministerial approach to ensure that the national food system is stable and runs efficiently and productively.

In addition, he said that the ministry was committed to ensuring food security, establishing a resilient national food production system as well as helping food producers.

"Among the efforts that have been implemented are providing modern and efficient infrastructure, incentives, support in the form of advisory and technical services, grants, financing aid, tax exemptions, subsidies, market access, and business matching,” he said. - BERNAMA