National Agrofood Policy 2021-2030 (NAP 2.0).

This National Agrofood Policy 2021-2030 (NAP 2.0) is a nationwide multisectoral document holistically formulated to continue the first National Agrofood Policy (NAP) for the period 2011-2020 broadly aiming at safeguarding food security through the transformation of the national food system. The main transformation interventions will concern the following (i) modernization and development of the agri-food sector to to be more sustainable, resilient and highly technology driven; (ii) improving the wellbeing of the people through the attention paid to food security and nutrition; (iii) ensuring environmental sustainability. The NAP 2.0 supports the national development agenda and current policies including Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 (SPV 2030), Malaysia Five-Year Development Plan, National Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) Policy and Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint. The document is built on five policy thrusts, with emphasis on (1) modernization and smart agriculture; (2) strengthening market and product access; (3) human capital development; (4) food system sustainability; and (5) creating conducive business ecosystems and governance. In support of the implementation of NAP 2.0, dedicated action plan has been formulated for each strategy outlined, setting specific outcomes and targets. All the initiatives will be implemented within the stipulated timeframe by optimizing the efficient use of resources. The Policy set out the following 6 strategic objectives to translate in actions the aforementioned purposes (i) drive income growth and facilitate better quality of life for food producers; (ii) raise production output with quality harvest by increasing productivity; (iii) establish more agile and resilient value chains with high value-added activities; (iv) improve food safety and nutritional well-being; (v) embrace greater economic, social and spatial inclusiveness; (vi) encourage greater adoption of sustainable consumption and production. The main sub sectors of the agri-food system taken into consideration for a strategic development are (i) paddy and rice; (ii) fruits and vegetables; (iii) livestock; and (iv) fisheries and aquaculture.
To improve the production, the Policy aims to (i) use smart agriculture technology to increase quality and quantity of crop yield by gaining better control over pests and disease issues and making the production process more predictable and efficient in al agriculture subsectors; (ii) increase efficiency and technical services of extension officers; (iii) boost productivity of the paddy and rice subsector via better management of land and water use; (iv) capitalize on the potential of local specialty rice varieties and solidify the options for variety diversification; (v) boost fruits and vegetables production volume and improve self-sufficiency level by intensifying gene editing research to further leverage upon the potential benefits of biotechnology; (vi) support the growth of high value fruits and vegetables; (vii) increase hygiene levels in the livestock subsector to prevent diseases, and improve good husbandry practices and grow the number of ruminant livestock.
Taking into account that the entire document aims to ensure food security and safety through the improvement of agri-food systems, specific strategies suggest towards this aim are (i) building strong talents in the agri-food sector able to adapt faster to modern technology; (ii) develop healthy and sustainable food systems which takes into account nutrition security where the population of Malaysia have access to a healthy and balanced diet; (iii) mitigate and control loss of livestock to diseases to ensure that food safety of meat, eggs and dairy products for local consumption and to be viable for export.
The environmental issues cover a big part of the Policy and in particular they regard (i) the adoption of sustainable practices to preserve the delicate balance of the environment and ecosystem; (ii) the minimization of waste and pollution along the entire food production process; (iii) the adoption of sustainable farming practices with utilization of biological resources, particularly on farmlands; (iv) the promote of conservation and preservation of biodiversity and natural resources for sustainable agriculture; (v) in the fisheries subsector, the keep the balance of fish sources in the market, with the aim to shift the fish consumption pattern from a majority of marine fisheries to a more balanced proportion of marine fisheries, inland fisheries and aquaculture; (vi) the enhancement of fisheries resource sustainability in order to maintain and increase existing fish stock, and promote consumption of fish products that are safe and sustainable.
To enhance an inclusive economic and social growth, the Ministry envisages (i) adopting the modernization to develop the nation’s value-producing industries by strengthening the link between basic research output with the industrial application; (ii) strengthening and diversifying exports in the agri-food sector; (iii) investments in targeted areas with high growth potential to boost competitiveness and the growth of income for the food producers in this sector; (iv) providing support to local food industries by strengthening domestically produced products; (v) strengthening linkages between food production and food consumers; (vi) attract and maintain the interest of food producers, investors and private sector to continuously participate in the agri-food sector; (vii) reducing dependency on imported feed for intensive farming, which is vulnerable to global price fluctuations; (viii) assisting the food producers in diversifying income sources and increasing the market accessibility of Malaysian fishery produce to the global market; (ix) improving cooperation and communication between fisheries sector's stakeholders such as state governments, enforcement agencies, fishermen and fish farmer communities and civil societies.
As for Governance,