PETALING JAYA: The nation’s food supply is sufficient, despite the recent floods in several states, says agriculture and food security minister Mohamad Sabu.
He said the strong cooperation among Asean countries has enabled the country to ensure it does not have a shortage of food, thanks to imports.
Citing the Food and Agriculture Organisation, Mohamad, also known as Mat Sabu, said Malaysia ranked second after Singapore in terms of food security.
He also pointed out that Singapore does not grow its own crops, and gets them from other countries.
“Where do they get their chicken? They invest in Johor. Where do they get their rice? They cooperate with Vietnam or Thailand. And where do they get their beef and so on? Naturally, they collaborate with Australia.
“We, too, need to adopt such an approach and can no longer operate in isolation. This is because Asean countries maintain good cooperation with one another,” Sinar Harian quoted the Amanah president as saying at a press conference after launching the party’s convention today.
Mohamad also said the government must try to establish agricultural regions in Sabah and Sarawak to ensure food security.
He said Sarawak premier Abang Johari Openg is paying close attention to this issue and has allocated RM500 million for the development of irrigation infrastructure for high-yield padi cultivation projects.
