KUALA LUMPUR, June 13 — Introducing a flexible ceiling price that changes according to price input factors is one of the measures to be taken by the government in a bid to ensure food security in the country, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said the measure was in line with the direct and targeted assistance to those in need as announced before.

Collaboration between the federal and state governments would also be intensified in the effort to increase the land size for agricultural use.

"This is to reduce dependence on food imports. This matter will be further discussed in a meeting with the Mentri Besar and Chief Ministers soon,” he said in a statement here today.

The Prime Minister said the introduction of the flexible ceiling price was one of the decisions reached during the Economic Action Council (EAC) meeting which he chaired today.

He said the meeting discussed three main issues related to food security, business facilitation in Malaysia and skilled workers in the electrical and electronics (E&E) sector.

The meeting also involved presentations by Khazanah Research Institute (KRI), Malaysian Productivity Corporation (MPC), Malaysian Semiconductor Industry Association (MSIA) and industry representatives.

Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri said other decisions made during the meeting were the effort to expand the agro-food ecosystem with the supply chain led by Government Investment Companies (GLCs), Government-Linked Investment Companies (GLICs) and government agencies.

He said this coordination was aimed at ensuring the quality, quantity and food production were at the optimum level, hence ensuring continuous supply.

"For example, the supply and price of chicken can be controlled if the relevant agencies were involved in the chicken breeding industry ecosystem right from supplying chicks, chicken feed, transportation, marketing and so on,” he said.

Apart from that, he said the government would also enhance public-private cooperation by giving focus on modernisation efforts and encouraging smart agriculture to increase agricultural yields.

"This initiative will be supported through efforts to consolidate farmland, idle land and waqf land,” he said.

Ismail Sabri said that in ensuring that agro-products continue to be marketable, contract farming programmes will continue to be encouraged where farmers and breeders would have no problem matching their production with market demand.

He added that the government was also committed to carrying out research that was viable and had the potential to be strategically utilised to meet global challenges to ensure a more inclusive and comprehensive food security ecosystem for the wellbeing of the Malaysian Family. — Bernama