Do we have enough?
Rice
70% locally produced, the rest imported from Thailand and Vietnam.
Eggs
100% self-sufficient.
Cucumber and most greens
100% self-sufficient.
Onions
Nearly 100% imported from India, Thailand and China.
Ikan Bilis (Dried Anchovies)
65% locally caught, the rest imported mainly from Thailand and the Philippines.
Chicken
100% self-sufficient but poultry industry asking for ceiling price to be raised or farms will close.
The good news is that we are pretty self-sufficient in producing most of the basic foods that we consume. But many of these items are price regulated or subsidised, making the cost unrealistics. Can the government continue to subsidise our food and fuel?
Paying more for our meals
To subsidise or not to, to lift the ceiling price or not to? While the Government is considering these options and has not pressed the panic button about our food situation yet, the rice in food prices is hitting everyone.
BY LOONG MENG YEE
newsdesk@thestar.com.my
The rising of global prices of food have been described as the "silent tsunami" coming our way. And chief among the concerns is the shortage of rice.
When Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi met his Thai counterpart Samak Sundaravej in Putrajaya recently, food security, triggered mainly by shortage of rice, was a new issue on the agenda.
Malaysia imports 480,000 tonnes of rice from Thailand, which accounts 60% of our total rice imports to satisfy annual needs of more than 2,000,000 tonnes.
Being a rice consuming and producing country, not many Malaysians would have thought that the day would come when we had to stop taking our staple food for granted.
Source: The Star, 04.05.2008 (page F21).