FOOD SECURITY IN MALAYSIA: MAKING SENSE OF THE WTO
Siti Salwahanim Mohd Nazir
DOI:
Keywords:
Developing countries, Food security, Agreement on Agriculture, WTO policies on agriculture
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the need for food security across the globe. Coupled with the looming 12th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO), various discussions and debates were held on the issue of food security versus the commitments by the members of the WTO with regard to supply, access and guarantees of food. Food security as defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) refers to a situation when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. This article aims to identify how the Agreement on Agriculture in the WTO can provide a secure framework for a developing country like Malaysia, to pursue effective policies to ensure food security. This paper also provides descriptive reports and analyses the status of food security in Malaysia and her outlook concerning the current re-negotiations of the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) in the WTO. Malaysia must take this opportune time, to reshape its national policies on food security and be actively involved in the renegotiation of the AoA to ensure synergies and compatibilities between national policies and the international trade rules contained therein.
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