SHAH ALAM, April 2 — The state government has assured that emergency food stockpiles for Selangor's residents are sufficient to meet current needs, said the state executive councillor for infrastructure and agriculture Dato' Izham Hashim.
Existing supplies at the Selangor Food Warehouse (GMS) can support the needs of 20 per cent of the population each month until the end of this year.
He said the reserves, which include staple foods and protein sources, will also be increased next year so that 40 per cent of supplies can be distributed monthly to residents.
The increase in capacity is intended to ensure food supplies remain available even in the event of supply chain disruptions caused by conflicts in West Asia.
“We aim to maintain 20 per cent each month until the end of the year. Next year it will increase to 40 per cent, then 60 per cent, 80 per cent, until it reaches a full 100 per cent,” Izham told Media Selangor.
GMS was launched by Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari in March last year to ensure the continuity of supply chains and to help stabilise the prices of essential goods during crises.
It operates from facilities at the logistics company Tiong Nam in Port Klang, which house 5,000 tonnes of rice and 1,000 tonnes of Allana frozen meat.
On March 20, Amirudin said that supplies at the GMS would be increased to meet needs for up to six months due to the West Asia conflict.
The target was originally expected to be achieved within the next two to three years, but efforts have been accelerated to ensure that the continuity of food supply to the people is not affected.
Meanwhile, Izham added that food supply management is carried out systematically to ensure product quality is maintained and does not deteriorate.
“For example, rice — we do not store it for more than a year, otherwise it will spoil. So, we ensure all stock is released for sale and then replenished with the same quantity,” he said.
The councillor believes that the increase in food supplies at GMS will be carried out in stages and is expected to reach 100 per cent by 2030, supported by a RM200 million allocation.
“We have only just started (last year); we cannot purchase everything at once because the cost is too high, in addition to storage constraints,” Izham said.
