Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan

Dato’ Mohd Mokhtar IsmailMalaysia must increase its competitiveness in food production toensure long-term food security for its people. To do this, it mustinnovate.The world experienced dramatic increases in food prices in late 2007 and early2008. This gave rise to serious concerns on possible adverse socio-economicimpacts of food security, especially on poor and developing countries. Althoughglobal food prices have fallen in recent months, the current financial crisis hascontinued to fuel food insecurity in many developing countries.The Food and Agriculture Organisation states that “Food security exists whenall people, at all times, have physical, socialand economic access to sufficient, safe andnutritious food which meets their dietaryneeds and food preferences for an active “Food security existsand healthy life.”when all people, at allThe definition indicates that food securitytimes, have physical, socialhas three main elements: food must beavailable, people have economic means to and economic accesspurchase food and the food must be able to sufficient, safe andto meet their nutritional requirements.Therefore, ensuring food security requires anutritious food whichco-ordinated and interministerial approach. meets their dietary needsHowever, as the ministry responsible forand food preferences forfood production, the Agriculture and AgrobasedIndustries Ministry plays a central an active and healthy life.”role in ensuring the availability of food inthe country.Global trade plays a crucial role indetermining Malaysia’s food security. As with other countries, Malaysia cannotproduce all the food that is required. The rigours of globalisation postulate thatwe should only produce goods that we have a comparative advantage in andimport goods we cannot produce competitively. Under normal circumstances,this economic principle makes good sense and global trade will enhance our foodsecurity.However, an undue reliance on global trade may adversely affect national foodsecurity, as observed during the 2008 food crisis. For example, when prices startedto rise in the second half of 2008, some major rice exporting countries beganrestricting exports or imposed quotas. Some even imposed a complete ban onrice exports. Had we been highly dependent on imports of rice, our country could117