There are several key insights from Dr. Larry Wong’s presentation:
- To untangle the complexities and challenges of future-proofing Malaysia’s food security, a holistic systems-based supply chain & trading networks framework needs to be adopted.
- Also requires understanding interconnected challenges and their consequences at various levels, global, regional, national (macro), and subnational (state, district), and community (households, individual) levels.
- Big lesson from Covid pandemic → importance of Whole-of-Nation/Whole of Society response – unified commitment of multi-stakeholders.
- Back to basics – Leverage on options open to small open economies but big trading nations as well as advantages of a net food exporter vs net food importer, and maintaining an intricate series of systems through agility, balance and a common vision.
“Food security is like Love – often emotional and sometimes irrational and can mean different things to different people at different times and different places, and under different circumstances.” He added.
The seminar was informed that there may be a need to redefine the issue of food security. If we define palm oil as food, then Malaysia is a net food exporter. That position can be used in our trading arrangements with rice exporters to ensure adequate long-term rice supply to our country.
Dr. Larry Wong also suggested that the issue of food security should also cover the need to encourage greater production and supply of other sources of carbohydrate such as tapioca, sweet potatoes, and maize.The speakers also suggested the need to examine the concern of food wastages or food losses, and bring it under control through better coordination.
Khairudin also mentioned the need to raise the incomes of farmers through efforts to improve income diversification from farm business sources.
