a Malaysia for Malaysians

Mr PM, your message to D8 Submit leaders that soaring prices of food and fuel could spark widespread political unrest also applicable to our own country . We don’t need an Economist to gather that information as Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations already helping us with necessary detail. Here are some of them:

World population will grow from around 6 billion people today to 8.3 billion people in 2030. Population growth will be growing at an average of 1.1 percent a year up to 2030. At the same time, an ever increasing share of the world’s population is well-fed. As a result, the growth in world demand for agricultural products is expected to slow further, from an average 2.2 percent annually over the past 30 years to 1.5 percent per year until 2030. In developing countries, the slowdown will be more dramatic, from 3.7 percent for the past 30 years to an average of 2 percent until 2030.

The world population will be increasingly well-fed by 2030, with 3050 kilocalories (kcal) available per person, compared to 2360 kcal per person per day in the mid-1960s and 2800 kcal today. This change reflects above all the rising consumption in many developing countries whose average will be close to 3000 kcal in 2030. The number of hungry people in developing countries is expected to decline from 777 million today to about 440 million in 2030. Sub-Saharan Africa is cause for serious concern, because the number of chronically undernourished people will only decrease from 194 to 183 million.

Patterns of food consumption are becoming more similar throughout the world, shifting towards higher-quality and more expensive foods such as meat and dairy products. It is projected to rise to 37 kg per person per year in 2030. Milk and dairy products have also seen rapid growth, from 45 kg now, and could rise to 66 kg in 2030. Cereals are still by far the world’s most important sources of food, both for direct human consumption and meat production. An extra billion tonnes of cereals will be needed by 2030.

The developing countries will become increasingly dependent on cereal, meat and milk imports, their production will not keep pace with demand. By 2030 they could be producing only 86 percent of their own cereal needs, with net imports rising from currently 103 million tonnes to 265 million tonnes by 2030.

Much of future food production growth will come from higher productivity. In developing countries, almost 70 percent of the increase in crop production will come from higher yields, around 20percent from an expansion of arable land and around 10 percent from multiple cropping and shorter fallow periods.

The expansion of farmland for food production will be slower than in the past. In the next 30 years, developing countries will need an additional 120 million ha for crops, this means, less new land will be opened up than in the past. A considerable part of this extra land will probably come from forest clearance. In other developing regions, almost all suitable land is already in use.

At global level there is enough water available, but some regions will face serious water shortages. A 14 percent increase in water withdrawals for irrigation is expected for developing countries by 2030.

Modern biotechnology offers promise as a means to improving food security. If the environmental threats from biotechnology are addressed, and if the technology is affordable by and geared towards the needs of the poor and undernourished, genetically modified crop varieties could help to sustain farming in marginal areas and to restore degraded lands to production.

Other promising technologies have emerged that combine increased production with improved environmental protection. These include no-till conservation agriculture and integrated pest or nutrient management. Locally, organic agriculture could become a realistic alternative to traditional agriculture over the next 30 years.

Future demand for livestock and dairy products can be met, but the consequences of increased production must be addressed. Production will shift away from extensive grazing systems towards more intensive and industrial methods.

Climate change could increase the dependency of some developing countries on food imports. The overall effect of climate change on global food production by 2030 is likely to be small. Production will probably be boosted in developed countries.

With many marine stocks now fully exploited or overexploited, future fish supplies are likely to be constrained by resource limits. The share of capture fisheries in world production will continue to decline, and the contribution of aquaculture to world fish production will continue to grow. The capacity of the global fishing fleet should be brought to a level at which fish stocks can be harvested sustainably.

When taking office, you appoint a senior person to charge Agriculture Ministry with policies that will boost production of agricultural products. However, you’re people failed to implement it since it’s hard for them to work under the sun despite all the new technologies available while neglecting those really work. Maybe , you got busy planning Marriage , buying new Bungalows , Yatch and Boeing then suddenly election.

Now, you’re just buying time in order to finish up extra purchases already planned. Rakyat had given a golden opportunity but you never act, why. Why, are punishing us. If you cann’t do it, Just pass the baton…