(Kuala Lumpur, 15th) The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security will seek input and recommendations from the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economy to formulate a special strategy to address the impact of rising global oil prices on the nation's food sector.
Minister of Agriculture and Food, Dato' Seri Mohamad Sabu, said that although the country's food import logistics routes have not been directly affected by the current conflicts in West Asia, it is expected that the uncertainty in global oil prices over the coming months will impact the supply chain.
"... The issue of oil prices and its impact is not appearing at the moment; it may become apparent in the coming months. At that time, we will listen to the recommendations and input from the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economy to develop our strategy."
He told the media after attending an event last night that, with the tense geopolitical situation in West Asia, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food will reassess the nation's food stocks after May.
Earlier, Mohamad Sabu pointed out that, in view of the tense geopolitical situation in West Asia, the ministry will reassess national food stocks after May.
At that time, he also stated that the current basic food supply, such as white rice, chicken, and vegetables, is sufficient and can be sustained at least until May. Therefore, he urged the public not to panic-buy.
On the other hand, Mohamad Sabu mentioned that to cope with possible economic ripple effects, the government will attempt to provide crop seed aid to support people's self-sufficiency.
"This is aimed at achieving self-sufficiency and, if possible, also helping out other friends. This is not being done out of panic, but as a normal practice, and it’s fine to switch from planting flowers to planting vegetables."
"In fact, if this situation occurs, it could provide a certain level of assistance, as it was implemented during the late Tun Razak’s era with the ‘Green Book’ campaign."