[Data from Dewan Rakyat] #16: Food security sounds the alarm bell How much does it cost to buy imported food in our country?

What does Congress look at in this issue of "Count" review?

1. The total value of imported food last year was RM77.8 billion.
2. The country's extremely poor families dropped to 1,793.
3. The number of people who missed SPM exams hit a new low since 2019.
4. More than 150,000 heavy vehicle accidents occurred in the past four years.
5. More than 700,000 drug users were recorded nationwide.

The total value of food imports last year was RM77.8 billion

Malaysia has abundant natural resources, but its food supply is never self-sufficient. Take the most basic white rice for example, about 30% need to rely on imports.

The increasing reliance on imports to meet food demand has led to my country being vulnerable to the impact of world commodity supply, which has led to a surge in the prices of basic commodities.

One example is coffee. Local coffee chain ZUS Coffee has previously announced that most beverage prices have risen by up to 30 cents as the soaring coffee bean prices have been greatly boosted.

As of October last year, my country spent RM77.8 billion to purchase imported food alone, approaching the annual import volume in 2023 (RM78.7 billion).

According to a written reply from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, coffee, cocoa, tea and spices account for the largest number of imported foods, up to RM18.26 billion, followed by cereals and cereal products (such as white rice), with an import value of RM11.16 billion.

As for the five major food sources in my country, they are China (RM9.13 billion), Thailand (RM6.57 billion), Argentina (RM5.68 billion), India (RM5.5 billion), and Brazil (RM4.92 billion).

Newsgraphy , a comprehensive data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, found that the food trade deficit (i.e., exports minus imports) has widened by three quarters over the past six years, from RM18.6 billion in 2018 to RM33.1 billion.

It’s like the family’s food expenditure far exceeds the income, and the gap is getting bigger and bigger.

In a written reply, the Ministry of Agriculture and Foodstuff stated that the authorities are committed to ensuring national food supply through domestic food production. However, due to inappropriate climate, low economic benefits, and resource constraints such as land and labor, some agricultural products cannot be produced domestically, so import resources are required.

As the COVID-19 pandemic exposed challenges in food access, coupled with geopolitical situations such as the Russian-Ukrainian war, as well as factors such as climate change and inflation, food security issues have attracted more and more attention.

To reduce dependence on imported food, the government is implementing relevant plans, including:

• Through a large-scale intelligent rice field cultivation program, the average rice yield per hectare of rice fields increased by as much as 10.45 metric tons, thereby increasing the income of rice farmers and reducing the burden of rice planting costs;
• The shallots, which are currently completely dependent on imports, have now begun to be produced domestically to meet the needs of 30% of the population. Last year, my country successfully implemented the 59.62 hectares of small shallot planting, with a yield of 44.05 tons;
• Strengthen the capacity of the aquaculture industry and reduce pressure on natural fishery resources. Last year, aquaculture production reached nearly 92% of the 500,000 metric tons target, while local fry production exceeded the preset target, namely 7.7 billion fry;
• Increase local beef production, including strengthening breeding activities.

The country's extremely poor families have dropped to less than 2,000

Prime Minister Zaliha revealed in a written reply to Congress that according to data from the Electronic Care Program (eKasih), as of December 31 last year, there were 1,793 extremely poor families nationwide, covering 5,539 family members. This is a 22% decrease compared to 2,191 households in November.

According to the state and federal territories, Kuala Lumpur still has the largest number of extremely poor families, with 507 households covering 1,230 members, 33 more than in November; followed by Kedah (314 households) and Johor (298 households).

As for Perls, Malacca, Negeri Negeri Negeri and Putrajaya, they maintain the record of zero-descendant families.

The minister said that if necessary, the data of the e-care program will be provided to the main database (PADU) regulated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs so that the authorities can implement the people-friendly program.

The government sets the national poverty line income level at RM2,589. Any family with a monthly income below this level is classified as a poor family; the monthly income of a highly poor family is less than RM1,198, which means the food consumption required to maintain basic survival.

The number of people who missed SPM exams fell to a new low since 2019

The Ministry of Education revealed in a written reply from the Congress that in the 2024 Malaysian Diploma Examination (SPM), a total of 386,739 candidates applied for at least six subjects. Among them, as of January 25 this year, 8,164 candidates (accounting for 2.11%) were absent, down 1,996 or 19.6% from 10,160 (accounting for 2.6%) in 2023.

This means that the number of SPM candidates who missed the exam in 2024 fell to four-digit numbers for the first time in 2019, which is also a six-year low.

The Ministry of Education said that the reasons why candidates missed the SPM exam include work, family or health problems, death and immigration overseas, etc.

To increase student examination rate, the authorities have taken several measures, such as monitoring students' attendance every day, to identify students who may miss the SPM exam, and to provide guidance and counseling services to students and parents.

“As for those students who missed the 2024 SPM exam, the Ministry of Education also provides opportunities to retake SPM as a private candidate in the future so that they can go to school or look for job opportunities.”

In addition, the authorities have prepared for the future and identified people at risk of taking the exam among the fourth middle school students (that is, SPM candidates in 2025), so that the school can plan the plan in advance and assist relevant students.

In view of the major floods during the exam period, the Ministry of Education has also cooperated with the National Natural Disaster Management Agency, the Fire and Rescue Bureau, the Civil Defense Force and other institutions to ensure that the exam is carried out smoothly during the rainy season.

More than 150,000 heavy vehicle traffic accidents in four years

From 2021 to 2024, there were 153,904 traffic accidents involving heavy vehicles such as buses and trulli in the country, of which trulli accounted for 90%.

Regarding the potential causes of frequent heavy vehicle accidents, the Ministry of Transport quoted data from the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety (MIROS) in a written reply from Congress, pointing out that according to a detailed survey on the causes of heavy vehicle accidents from 2011 to 2016, 71% were caused by human factors.

“This includes dangerous driving, accounting for 35%, followed by speeding (24%), fatigue driving (11%), and driving under the influence of drunk driving or taking sleeping pills (1%).”

In addition, the Land Transport Bureau review also found that heavy vehicle drivers have poor compliance with industry codes of conduct because of the lack of road-related occupational safety management within the transportation company, which may increase the risk of traffic accidents.

More than 700,000 drug users have been recorded nationwide

On the eve of New Year's Day this year, seven attendees believed to have participated in the New Year's Eve countdown event for Pinkfish New Year's Eve countdown event held at Sunway Water Park. They also experienced physical discomfort after the concert, which eventually led to four deaths and three others were admitted to the hospital for treatment.

This accident has attracted everyone's attention to drug crime cases.

In a written reply from Congress, the Ministry of Home Affairs quoted data from national anti-drug agencies, showing that from 2020 to September last year, there were 703,857 drug users nationwide, of which three states accounted for more than 10%, namely Johor, Selangor and Kelantan.

In order to avoid the accident of the Pinkfish New Year's Eve concert repeating, the police cooperated with the concert organizers and relevant agencies to take the following safety measures to ensure the safety of attendees:

• Inspection and control at the entrance – Before the audience enters the concert site, police and security forces will conduct thorough inspections on the audience to see if they are carrying drugs, weapons or contraband. The authorities will also dispatch trained K9 police dogs to detect drugs and other contraband at the entrance and around the concert venue.
• Monitoring and inspection throughout the concert – Police will install electric eyes in specific areas of the concert to monitor any suspicious activities. In addition, it is possible for police to disguise themselves as viewers to monitor drug distribution or abuse in the audience.
• Raid – If there is any information about distribution or abuse of drugs, the police will raid the suspicious location and conduct random urine tests on persons suspected of taking drugs.

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