Is Malaysia one bad harvest away from a food crisis it can't import its way out of? It's sowing season, but the conditions couldn't be worse, diesel costs are climbing, fertiliser prices have shot up, and a third of Kedah's crops were left unharvested.
Dr Sarena Omar, CEO at PNB Research Institute and a subject matter expert on agriculture and food security, joins Enterprise Explores to map exactly how the West Asia conflict is quietly impacting Malaysia's food supply chain, from the paddy fields of the north to your chicken prices in June. We unpack the double price squeeze that's slowly strangling the industry from both ends.
Tune In To Find Out:
The 52% Stagnation: Why Malaysia’s rice production has only grown as fast as our appetite, leaving us decades behind neighbours like the Philippines and Indonesia.
The RM2.7 Billion Subsidy Question: Is aiming for 80% self-sufficiency worth the massive trade-off in government spending and farmer competitiveness?
Geographical Eggs in One Basket: The risk of relying on just three northern states for over 50% of our rice and the urgent need to pivot to Sabah, Sarawak, and Perak.
The Fertilizer Double Whammy: How the Iran-Israel conflict trickles down to a 80% year-on-year surge in Urea costs, hitting local production and imported food simultaneously.
The "Ulam" Solution: Why "foolproof" local crops like Pegaga and Ulam Raja are the most economically viable tools for household food resilience.

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