THANK you, we say, to our Asean neighbours for their pledges to prioritise food exports to member states facing shortages. That is the right thing to do.
But it may prove to be very dangerous for Malaysia to rely on such food security commitments. Not because promises made by neighbours are bound to be broken, but because future events that none can predict may compel them not to keep the pledges.
To rely on such commitments and do nothing or little to make Malaysia food secure is to invite disaster. Here is why. Our neighbours are exactly in the same boat. Geography has placed all 10 Asean countries in that very boat.
Climate change affects us all. If there is a shortage of food here, there's bound to be one in most, if not all, of the Asean countries. Even if there isn't a shortage in our neighbourhood, Asean countries will want to ensure that they have an adequate food stockpile for themselves before they ship them to us.
Commitments are easy to make when the going is good, but when the going gets tough, such pledges will be challenged. Take the case of a shortage of rice. India, the largest exporter of rice, banned the grain's shipment to other countries when adverse weather events dwindled its production.
According to media reports, India's export ban caused a global shortfall of 10 million metric tonnes. Malaysia, a net importer of 1.2 million metric tonnes of rice, is forced to negotiate a resumption of rice supplies from India.
Whether India will revert to exporting the grain to Malaysia depends on a number of things, but expect the nation's rice stockpile to be at the top of the list.
Thailand, the world's second largest rice exporter, also banned the grain's export when it was similarly challenged.
Again, Malaysia was forced to go on a race for rice elsewhere. Today, Thailand has a surplus of 5.29 million metric tonnes to export. But tomorrow may not be like today. The experts are right. Malaysia must not place complete reliance on such commitments because future events may force our neighbours to break the pledges that they so easily make during good times.
Like now. Then, there is the issue of price. With India out of the export equation, prices have spiked. Even if the pledges are honoured by our Asean neighbours, Malaysia's import bill will be hefty. Add this to our other food import bill, which happened in 2021, it was around RM79 billion.
Plus, there is the tricky game of geopolitics. There is such a thing as fair-weather friends. Malaysia has no choice but to go back to its ploughs. Granted, Malaysia can't produce all the food it imports. But Malaysia can grow or produce most of it.
To import chilies and cabbages is to cast aspersions on our land. Let's not forget that we were once known for our agriculture. Malaysia is a land of land. There is plenty lying idle.
If we could do it then, we can do it now. As food security expert Dr Nur Ameera A. Jaz from Universiti Malaya told this newspaper on Friday, all Malaysia needs to do is encourage local farmers to adopt technology, promote sustainable farming practices and invest in research and development.
Ploughs spell food security, not pledges from neighbours.