Middle East conflict: Ministry gauging effects on national food sector

PUTRAJAYA - The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry (KPKM) is assessing the possible impact of the conflict in the Middle East on the country's food sector, including the potential increase in agricultural input costs due to uncertainty over world oil prices.

Its minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said so far the direct impact on the country's food supply is expected to be limited as most of Malaysia's food imports are not sourced from countries in the Middle East.

He said the majority of the country's food imports come from Asean countries, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil and China.

"For now, the impact is not that much because we do not import many food items from the Middle East.

"But the impact of the increase in oil prices will probably result in an increase in prices and so on, we will wait for the report, we cannot speculate," he said.

He told reporters after attending the Meeting of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security with ministry staff in conjunction with Ramadan 2026 here on Tuesday.

However, he said the increase in global oil prices could affect agricultural production costs, including the possibility of higher fertiliser prices.

According to him, ministry officials are currently conducting intensive analysis to obtain initial information and make projections if oil prices continue to increase.

Mohamad said KPKM is also conducting a stock review to assess the quantity of existing agricultural input supplies and how long they can last.

He said other measures include planning supply needs based on existing stocks in addition to increasing local food production efforts.

He said the efforts involve using new technology in the agricultural sector, as well as opening new agricultural areas, especially in Sabah and Sarawak and developing idle land.

At the same time, he said the government continued to focus on food security issues, especially rice supply, which is the country's most important food security component, even though the price of imported rice is currently stable. - BERNAMA