Kesan Pandemik Covid-19 Terhadap Sekuriti Makanan di Malaysia

The Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Malaysia Food Security

Abstract

Pandemik COVID-19 mendatangkan kesan langsung kepada jaminan keselamatan makanan di Malaysia menerusi pelbagai cara. Kajian ini dilaksanakan bertujuan untuk menganalisa sejauh manakah implikasi pandemik COVID-19 terhadap keselamatan bekalan makanan dari beberapa aspek utama iaitu gangguan dalam rantai bekalan global dan domestik, peningkatan beban fiskal dan hutang negara, serta penggunaan teknologi dan kepakaran. Kajian dilaksanakan menggunakan data sekunder daripada laporan berautoriti, dokumen kerajaan, surat khabar, webinar, serta data primer daripada perbincangan kumpulan berfokus serta temubual bersama pemain industri dan ahli pakar akademik. Dapatan kajian mendapati pandemik COVID-19 mengesani jaminan keselamatan makanan akibat daripada kenaikan harga mendadak dan gangguan bekalan input pertanian, kenaikan harga komoditi terpilih serta kekurangan atau lambakan bekalan makanan asas di pasaran. Hikmah di sebalik pandemik ini adalah semakin ramai menceburi bidang pertanian, penggunaan teknologi dan digitalisasi yang lebih meluas serta keutamaan perbelanjaan kerajaan untuk meningkatkan produktiviti pertanian tempatan.  

The COVID-19 pandemic has directly impacted on food security in Malaysia through various means. This study aimed to examine the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security from several key aspects namely disruptions in the global and domestic supply chains, increased fiscal burden and national debt as well as the use of technology and expertise. The study is conducted using secondary data from authoritative reports, government documents, newspapers, webinars as well as primary data from focus group discussion and interviews with industry players and academic experts.Findings of this study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the guarantee of food supply as a result of sudden price increases and interruptions in the supply of agricultural inputs, increased prices of selected commodities and shortages or oversupply of food supplies in the market. On the positive note, more people have ventured into the agriculture field, technology and digitalisation are more widely used and the government has prioritised spending to increase local agricultural productivity.