Government’s ‘ad hoc’ solutions to tackle food security insufficient, says Muhyiddin

PETALING JAYA: The government’s “ad hoc solutions” to tackle food security issues are not up to par, says Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

The former prime minister also called on the government to come up with a comprehensive action plan to overcome the issue of local rice supplies and ensure Malaysians would always have food on the table.

“This includes stricter and more holistic enforcement measures to ensure no one manipulates the local rice supply chain,” he said in a Facebook post Thursday (Sept 28).

Muhyiddin said rice stockpiles should also be increased alongside increasing the production of local food products.

“The ad hoc measures currently taken are insufficient in tackling the rice supply nor does it guarantee that the rakyat can purchase food items at reasonable prices,” he added.

The Perikatan Nasional chairman said the scarcity of local white rice supplies was yet to be resolved despite it having been around for a long time.

The government, he added, should take a more serious look at this issue, adding that it could be a prelude to a bigger crisis in the future.

“We know how climate change has caused droughts and floods globally which has affected food exports, including rice.

“Seeing how our country still relies on food imports, the reduced food exports from countries affected by climate change will impact Malaysia’s food supplies,” Muhyiddin said.