SHAH ALAM, Aug 13 — Reserves at the Selangor Food Warehouse (GMS) include protein sources such as beef and fish, said Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari.
He said GMS houses about 8,000 tonnes of rice as buffer stock, equivalent to only about 15 to 20 per cent of the population’s current needs.
“Besides the state’s reserves, we are not limiting them to basic food sources such as rice or carbohydrates; we are also storing protein sources such as beef and fish, which we started amassing in 2023 or 2024,” he said during the question-and-answer session at the Selangor State Legislative Assembly sitting here today.
He said the state aims to build a food security of three to six months, but said this process would take time as stocking reserves for three months alone would cost more than RM1 billion.
He said the state would continue increasing its buffer stock, with the existing 8,000 tonnes expected to be expanded to tens of thousands of tonnes by 2029 or 2030.
Amirudin said Malaysia remains heavily dependent on food imports, with the country importing about RM60 billion worth of food annually including around RM6 billion worth of grain corn.
“We are looking for other land, including in other states, so we can produce grain corn, which is a major source of protein for livestock feed,” he said.
Due to global incidents including the Russia-Ukraine war and changes in the United States’ policies that could affect food supply and prices, Amirudin highlighted the need for Selangor to strengthen its own reserves.
He explained that Malaysia has about 290,000 tonnes of buffer stock, while Selangor’s 8,000 tonnes is ready for distribution.
Amirudin said the state would continue building its reserves while ensuring stock is rotated appropriately to prevent wastage.
