학술논문
Examining the Policy Agenda on Food Security: A Question of Food Availability in Malaysia
Document Type
Article
Author
Source
동남아연구 / Southeast Asia Journal. May 31, 2015 25(1):147
Subject
Language
Korean
ISSN
1225-4738
Abstract
Food security implies the ability of the country to ensure a stable supply for domestic consumption. To achieve that, the Malaysian Federal Government has to allocate a certain percentage of the national budget for food production. Within this framework, this article attempts to examine policies regarding food security in Malaysia. Since the Malaysian government initiated agricultural policies to provide sustainable food production, the percentage of budgetary allocation for food has varied substantially over the years. Prior to the establishment of the industrial policy, the budgetary allocation for food related policies was quite high. However, the influence of global warming as well as a series of catastrophic events in food producing nations such as Thailand and Australia has forced Malaysia to relook at its food security agenda. Using a content analysis method, based on the documents of the Malaysia economic development plans, this paper first explores government policies on food and agriculture. Then, the paper examines how these policies affect the balance of trade in regards to food availability in terms of three major commodities (rice, fruit, and vegetables). Finally, the researchers analyze the future direction of Malaysia in regards to the food security agenda focusing on food availability. It is hopeful that the recommendations will help policymakers formulate agricultural policies which can help the country to sustain its food production and at the same time protect the country from any unforeseen circumstances relating to food security issues.