The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security Malaysia (KPKM) will immediately obtain a report from the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) following claims that vegetable prices in Kelantan have increased by as much as RM2 per kilogramme.
Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu said there has so far been no major spike in vegetable prices across most areas in the country, including the Klang Valley, except for certain types of vegetables.
“We will monitor the situation in Kelantan. I will request an immediate report from FAMA today,” he told reporters after launching the Gardentopia Community Agriculture Information Centre on Monday.
Mohamad was responding to reports that vegetable prices at several markets in Kelantan had risen significantly due to prolonged hot weather and increasing diesel costs.
The minister also addressed concerns over food inflation, saying that rising fertiliser prices remain one of the major global challenges contributing to higher agricultural production costs.
According to him, the issue has been widely discussed internationally, including by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), especially following conflicts affecting regions involved in phosphate and raw material production.
“It is a global forecast that fertiliser issues will become more problematic because conflict zones are also linked to phosphate production and related resources,” he said.
Mohamad added that the government would continue introducing intervention measures from time to time based on the country’s financial capabilities.
Despite concerns over rising agricultural input costs, he assured the public that Malaysia’s fertiliser supply remains sufficient for now.
However, he said authorities would continue closely monitoring pricing trends over the next two to three months.
“Supply is still enough. What we need to monitor is the price situation over the coming months. From the ministry’s perspective, supply conditions in Malaysia are currently stable, but prices will continue to be observed closely,” he explained.
