KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia's food security has improved, but weaker availability and dependence on imported staples and agricultural inputs leave the system exposed to external shocks, a research house said on Wednesday.
Geopolitical conflicts could raise energy, fertilizer, animal feed, freight and packaging costs, with delayed effects on agricultural yields, food supply and prices in 2027, MBSB Research said in a report.
Climate change, El Nino, export restrictions and currency volatility could further intensify the pressures and undermine food affordability, said MBSB.
"The combination of adverse weather and elevated input costs could be particularly damaging, as producers would face lower biological output while fertilizer, feed, energy and logistics costs remain high," said MBSB.
According to the report, Malaysia's reliance on imports for rice, wheat, livestock products, animal feed and selected vegetables means production losses in exporting countries could be transmitted directly to domestic food availability and prices.
Malaysia's total food and beverage imports rose strongly between 2014 and 2025, increasing to 100 billion ringgit (24.54 billion U.S. dollars) in 2025 from about 42 billion ringgit in 2014.
While imports grew steadily before 2020, the pace accelerated after 2020, driven by increases in both primary agricultural goods and processed food products.
Looking ahead, Malaysia's food inflation could face renewed upward pressure from higher agricultural input costs, particularly fertilizer prices, while adverse weather could constrain domestic production and disrupt supply, said MBSB. ■