Malaysia's Food Security Index Rises to 61.5 in 2024

Malaysia's overall Food Security Index score rose to 61.5 in 2024, a notable increase from 54.5 in the previous year, signaling a positive trend in the nation's food security status. This improvement reflects the government's ongoing efforts to strengthen the national food system, making it more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive.

The "Accessibility" dimension recorded the highest score at 79.9, a substantial jump from 59.6 in 2023. This significant enhancement was primarily driven by a surge in the food inflation index score, which rose to 84.1 from 30.3, alongside improvements in indicators like unsurfaced roads (83.6) and average monthly wages and salaries (81.9). The "Stability" dimension also showed better performance, with a higher score of 54.6 compared to 40.2 in 2023, boosted by increased per capita consumption and favorable temperature variations.

The "Utilization" dimension saw a modest increase to 50.4 from 48.5, supported by improvements in indicators such as the prevalence of overweight and obese children under five (78.0), life expectancy at birth (53.9), and access to water sources (51.5). However, the "Availability" dimension experienced a slight decline, scoring 50.0 compared to 54.3 in 2023. This decrease was influenced by key indicators including food imports and exports, post-harvest losses, and available energy supply per capita for selected food groups.

Despite the dip in "Availability," the indicator for available energy supply per capita remained the highest within this dimension at 58.7, followed by major food agricultural exports (55.1) and major food agricultural production (54.3). Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr. Mohd. Uzir Mahidin stated that the Malaysian Food Security Index serves as a crucial reference for formulating and monitoring the National Food Security Policy 2030 and the Thirteenth Malaysia Plan (RMK13). This data-driven approach aims to ensure the stability, adequacy, and sustainability of the nation's food system.