INTRODUCTION
In the context of global overpopulation, food security has become a significant issue that demands urgent attention from governments and international organisations worldwide. The world’s population is expected to reach 9.8 billion by 2050 (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division, 2017) with global food demand expected to increase by at least 60 percent compared to current levels (World Economic Forum, 2016). Countries around the world arestriving to ensure a stable and sufficient food supply to meet the needs of their growing populations (Nur Shahirah et al.,2025).
As of June 2025, Malaysia’s population is estimated at 35,977,838 million, representing approximately 0.44 percent of the global population (World Population Prospects, 2024). With the nation’s population projected to reach 44 million by 2050, food consumption is expected to increase by 70 percent to 100 percent. This anticipated surge highlights the urgent need to establish robust food security measures in Malaysia to ensure consistent access to sufficient food, particularly during unforeseen events (Rohayati Husin, 2024).
Food sufficiency refers to the availability of an adequate food supply to meet the nutritional needs of the entire population, thereby preventing hunger or malnutrition. However, food security goes beyond availability – it also includes equitable access, ensuring that all individuals and communities, regardless of their social, economic, or geographical circumstances, have fair opportunities to obtain sufficient and nutritious food. It also encompasses efforts to guarantee that all food produced, processed, and distributed is safe for consumption.
While definitions and challenges related to food security vary by country,. Malaysia continues to face persistent issues, particularly in maintaining a stable and adequate food supply to meet population needs. Among the key challenges is heavy reliance on imported food products, which exposes the nation to external shocks and supply vulnerabilities.
THE CONCEPT FOOD SECURITY IN MALAYSIA
Food security is the ability to always access enough food for every person in the nation and the availability of sufficient food. As a developing nation with a growing population and evolving dietary patterns, Malaysia faces the challenge of ensuring a stable domestic food supply while reducing dependency on imports. The concept of food security in the Malaysian context includes not only sufficient production but also equitable distribution, efficient food systems, and resilience to economic and environmental shocks.
Food security Index
According to the Global Food Security 2022 Report, Malaysia ranked 80th place among Asia-Pacific countries and second among Southeast Asian nations, behind only Singapore.. Globally, Malaysia was placed 41st out of 133 countries, outperforming several major agri-food exporters such as Thailand, Vietnam, Russia, and Ukraine. Malaysia’s food security ranking has shown significant progress compared to a decade earlier.In 2022 the nation’s score was 69.9 points, an increase of 5.7 point compared to 2012.
The Global Food Security Index (GFSI) (2022) also reported that Malaysia scored 53.7 points and ranked 57th globally for food system sustainability. The country also obtained a score of 74.7 points in food quality and safety, reflecting the government’s rigorous effort to ensure the quality and safety of food supplied to the people (Rozhan Abu Dardak, 2025).
Table 1: Food Security Ranking and trend
Source: Global Food Security Index 2022 report
Although Malaysia has improved its food security performance score, the country still faces challenges in reducing reliance on food import, which have shown a consistent upward trend in value each year.
Food Supply
Malaysia aims to sustain its food security index score through performance across key components: food availability, food accessibility, food affordability and food stability. The agriculture sector remains the primary contributor to national food supply, with the agri-food sector contributing RM 173.9 billion (approximately US$38.64 billion) to Malaysia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) amounting to , equivalent to 11.5 percent of total GDP (Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), 2022).
However, the local production of agricultural food in Malaysia remains insufficient to meet the domestic consumption needs. The main challenges faced by Malaysia’s agriculture sector are low productivity and higher production costs. According to DOSM (2023), Malaysia can only produce between 14 percent and 70 percent of its food supply for self-sufficiency purposes.
Table 2: Self -sufficient level of agrifood commodities
Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2023
Although the agriculture food production has increased steadily in recent years, it remains insufficient to meet domestic demand, resulting in continued reliance on imported food products. According to the DOSM 2024 report highlighting that the food import to Malaysia doubled within ten years, from RM42.64 (US$9.47) billion in 2014 to RM 78.80 (US$17.51) billion in 2023, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Malaysia’s food Import (2014-2023)
Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2024
The rising value of food imports is also part of a government strategy to ensure consistent food availability and help stabilise domestic prices. This is because the government allows for the importation of food products when prices increase. For example, when farm-gate chicken prices in Peninsular Malaysia increased from November 2023 to February 2024 with the average price of RM 10.50 per kilogram, the government responded by waiving approval permits for chicken imports. This change allowed many of local suppliers to import chicken, helping to stabilise supply and ease price pressures (Rozhan Abu Dardak, 2025).
Despite efforts to improve food availability, accessibility, and affordability, Malaysia continues to face key food security challenges—most notably, its ongoing dependency on food import.
FOOD IMPORT DEPENDENCY IN MALAYSIA
Dependency on food import refers to how much a country relies on products or services from other countries to meet their demand. In Malaysia, this concept is still relevant and is often used in order to ensure that the food security is in a good condition for population needs. However, continued dependence on imported food leaves Malaysia vulnerable to external shocks and disruptions in the global supply chain. Malaysia’s domestic food production remains insufficient due to several limiting factors, including the country’s population size, limited arable land, agricultural productivity, and others (Rohayati Husin, et.al., 2024).
In 2023, Malaysia imported approximately RM 78.9 billion worth of food products, an increase from RM 75.62 billion the previous years. Malaysia imported various food products, including rice, onion, dairy product, coffee, and others to fulfil the consumer’s needs and demands. India, for instance, is the second largest rice supplier for Malaysia, with more than RM 681.00 million worth of rice imported in 2020 (Malaysia Trade Statistic Review 2021).
Heavy dependence on food imports exposes Malaysia to risks such as global price fluctuations, which often triggered by changes in exporting countries’ trade policies. . A notable example occurred in 2020, when India decided to reduce its rice exports, leading to a spike in rice prices and a sharp drop in local supply—resulting in panic buying and heightened consumer concern (Rozhan Abu Dardak, 2025). The same scenario also applied to other products such as onions, grain corn, eggs, and temperate vegetables.
Malaysia has since implemented a few strategies that are employed to enhance domestic food production and reduce reliance on food import, as highlighted in the National Agrofood Policy (NAP 2.0) and the Food Security Policy. The government has taken decisive action including promoting sustainable agricultural practices, increasing investment in research and development for agriculture, and encouraging local food production through policies and incentives.
WAY FORWARD
In conclusion, Malaysia has implemented robust policies and strategies to reduce its food security issues. To ensure the success of these efforts, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has formulated a Food Security Policy (2021-2030) Action Plan. This plan aims to strengthen the country’s food security by addressing issues and challenges along the entire food supply chain, from agricultural input to food wastage.
According to Rozhan Abu Dardak, (2025), the policy outlines four key strategic directions:
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Empowering the aquaculture industry to reduce the country’s dependence on fish resources obtained through captured fisheries. The government aims to increase fish yield from aquaculture activities to 60 percent, reducing pressure on natural water resources and increasing income through the aquaculture industry.
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The cultivation of grain corn to produce of 600,000 metric tons of animal feed within the next 10 years. The Ministry has produced a national Grain Maize Industry Blueprint, aiming to reduce dependence on import of grain corn by down to 30 percent by 2030.
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Enhancing youth participation in the agri-food sector and smart agriculture to overcome the issue of foreign worker dependency and aging farmers. The Ministry needs to attract youth by applying modern agricultural technology and strengthening agricultural Research and Development (R&D).
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Enhance R&D in the agri-food sector as one of the final initiatives to ensure the sustainability of food.
REFERENCE
Department of Statistics Malaysia (2022). Agrofood statistic 2022. Department of Statistics, Malaysia Putrajaya.
Department of Statistics Malaysia (2023). Agrofood statistic 2023. Department of Statistics, Malaysia Putrajaya.
Department of Statistics Malaysia (2024). Agrofood statistic 2024. Department of Statistics, Malaysia Putrajaya.
Nur Shahirah Azlan Azri et al, (2025). Literature Review on Malaysia national Food Security: Challenge and Strategy in Meeting Population Rise. Retrieved from DOI:10.62754/joe.v4i1.6006
Rohayati Husin and et al, (2024). Food Security Issues in Malaysia and Indonesia: A Comparative Analysis. Retrieved from https://gaexcellence.com/ijlgc/article/view/504.
Rozhan Abu Drdak, (2025). Food Security Dilemma in Malaysia. Retrieved from https://ap.fftc.org.tw/article/3745.
World meters (2024). World Population Prospects: The 2024 Revision, Retrieved from https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/malaysia-population/?utm_source=chatgpt.com#google_vignette.