00:04These vegetables were grown less than an hour away from this wet market, but how does a war
00:09thousands of kilometers away make them more expensive? Many Malaysians assume that if we
00:15grow our own food, global crises won't affect our prices. But every plate of food has an
00:21invisible ingredient, fertilizer. Roughly half of the world's food production depends on it.
00:31And fertilizer depends on things far beyond the farm. Natural gas, minerals and global
00:38shipping. Nitrogen fertilizer, the most widely used, is made from ammonia, produced using vast
00:45amounts of natural gas. So, when conflict disrupts the Strait of Hormuz, the effects travel far
00:54beyond the Middle East. Almost one-fifth of the world's liquefied natural gas passes through
01:01this narrow waterway, together with a third of all globally traded urea the fertilizer farmers rely on
01:08to maximize their yields. That matters because natural gas is both an energy source and a key
01:15input in producing nitrogen fertilizer. When gas becomes more expensive and shipments are delayed,
01:22fertilizer prices rise.
01:25We do produce some of our own nitrogen-based fertilizer, but the local supply is still not
01:32enough to meet domestic demand. Therefore, we still need to continue to rely on imports.
01:39When there are import restrictions or disruptions to the global supply chain, definitely the availability of
01:46fertilizer is affected. And of course, the prices will go up. So, even though our paddy is grown here,
01:54part of the cost is of production, of producing the rice is still determined by what happens in other
02:02parts of the world. So, global markets really can hit our rice production in Malaysia.
02:09Higher gas prices make fertilizer more expensive, while shipping disruptions delay supplies.
02:16For farmers, those delays can be critical.
02:20Fertilizer is very important because the yield depends on whether the crop receives enough nutrients
02:26at the right time. If farmers miss the fertilizer application window, the crop may not perform well,
02:33and this can lead to a lower yield at the end of the season.
02:39So, multiply that across farms worldwide, and the scale becomes enormous. Every week,
02:46the disruption continues. The world loses enough nutrients to produce billions of meals.
02:52The pressure is already visible in global fertilizer and food prices. Global fertilizer prices
02:58rose sharply in the first five months of 2026, with Urea prices climbing above US$850 a ton in April,
03:07around 80% higher than in February. Meanwhile, the latest UN data show that the global food price
03:15index crossed 130 points in April and remained above that level through June.
03:22When costs rise, they ripple through the whole chain. Farm, transport, wholesaler,
03:29retailer, all the way to your plate, and the cost of living itself.
03:34Malaysia has not escaped these pressures, but government support and price control measures are
03:39intended to prevent the full increase from being passed immediately to farmers and consumers.
03:44The question is, how long those buffers can hold if the disruption continues?
03:50India and France are already seeing food price inflation as both depend heavily on imported commodities.
03:59Malaysia has been relatively well protected so far. Largely through targeted subsidies,
04:06a supportive exchange rate, cash assistance, and its position as an energy-producing economy.
04:13For example, Budi 95 and Cape Braun 95 at a subsidized price at RM199. Likewise, Budi Diesel does the same
04:23for
04:23Diesel. At the same time, the stronger Ringgit has moderated some imported inflation. Importers need fewer Ringgit
04:32to pay for the same quantity of Ringgit. Likewise, households have also received further support through
04:39targeted cash transfer, STR, and MISARA. This protection reduces and delays the impact. But they do not eliminate it.
04:51But the government cannot build resilience alone. The public has a role too. During a prolonged global
04:59disruption, households can reduce waste, avoid panic buying, and use fuel and electricity more efficiently.
05:07When millions of Malaysians make small changes, the impact on the nation is enormous.
05:14Malaysia cannot control what happens in the Strait of Hormuz.
05:19But how prepared Malaysia is will determine how much of that shock eventually reaches our wet markets
05:25and your dinner plate.
05:27TVA Ragu FMT
