PUTRAJAYA, July 6 — Malaysia scored 61.5 on the Malaysian Food Security Index 2024, up from 54.5 in 2023, indicating that the country is on the right track, said the Statistics Department (DOSM).
Chief statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said that from the four aspects evaluated, Malaysia had the highest score (79.9) in accessibility, followed by stability (54.6), usability (50.4), and availability (50).
He added that the high accessibility score indicates Malaysia has no problem obtaining food supplies as shortfalls in domestic production can be compensated with imports.
However, he said, availability, especially in domestic production, has a lot of room for improvement.
“This is why future economic focuses must emphasise strengthening the agricultural sector. I expect that this measure will enhance the country’s food security index,” he said at Simfoni Data dan Media special discourse event here today.
Uzir added that among the factors to the higher score is the government’s efforts in expanding the use of modern technology in the agricultural sector, including with the Internet of Things (IoT) and drones.
He said the agricultural sector must now be strengthened with large-scale and more commercial economic development, but the effort should start on a small scale to ensure business sustainability.
Uzir said the preliminary report would be finalised after improvements are made, including the development of a digital dashboard to facilitate access to data and analysis of the country’s food security.
Commenting on the global food security landscape, he said the world still faces challenges, with the The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024 report stating that about 673 million people worldwide still experience hunger, while more than 2.3 billion people experience moderate to severe food insecurity.
Uzir added that fluctuating global food prices due to climate change, geopolitical conflicts, supply chain disruptions, and rising energy costs also affect food importers like Malaysia through increased costs.
