M'sians Are Being Told To Plant Their Own Food & Breed Livestock To Battle Food Shortages
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (FOMCA) president is urging Malaysians to not eat chicken in June for the supply to be replenished, otherwise we could face food shortages.
By Ivyna Ong — 02 Jun 2022, 04:57 PM
Malaysians are being told to grow their own vegetables and breed their own livestock due to food shortage recently
Perak Menteri Besar (MB) Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said this could be an initiative that could reduce the burden of the rising cost of living triggered by the surge in prices of agricultural goods, reported Bernama.
Prices of livestock meat like chicken and mutton are also said to be on the rise, prompting the government to ban the export of chicken from 1 June.
"That’s why I have been campaigning at various places in the state on this so that what we want to eat, we plant or breed the produce ourselves so as not to rely so much on imports," he said at the Agrofest programme of the Pera State Agriculture Development Corporation (SADC) earlier this week.
Meanwhile, Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (FOMCA) said Malaysians must try to reduce consumption of chicken to help stabilise the supply crisis
According to theSunDaily, FOMCA chief executive officer (CEO) Saravanan Thambirajah urged Malaysians to abstain from eating chicken in the month of June to allow the chicken supply in the country to be replenished.
He also urged the public to stop buying more than they need.
He added that there are other alternatives to choose from in replacement of chicken. If consumption patterns do not change, there will be a serious food shortage.
He also urged consumers to be patient as the chicken crisis was not only affecting Malaysia but also the rest of the world.
It was reported that the Russia-Ukraine war may indirectly affect Malaysia's food security due to the rise in price of fertilisers and animal feed. About 90% of animal feed used in local poultry industry comes from countries like Ukraine, Brazil, and Argentina, according to The Straits Times.
A report by S&P Global states that the rising food prices and diminishing supplies "will likely last through 2024" due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict
The report, published yesterday, 1 June, listed fertiliser shortages, export controls, disrupted global trade, and escalating fuel and transport costs that will be behind the increase in prices.
This is because Russia and Ukraine are two of the world's largest exporters of wheat, maize, rapeseed, sunflower seed, and sunflower oil.
They account for 12% of all food calories traded, while Russia was the largest supplier of fertiliser in 2020.
