Malaysia delays public projects to use money for food stockpiles, says prime minister - AP

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - The Malaysian government will delay nonessential public projects and use the money instead to build up food stockpiles amid a global food crisis, the prime minister said Saturday.

If measures are not taken now "it will be difficult later," Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was quoted as saying by national news agency Bernama.

He said a 4 billion ringgit (US$1.3 billion; euro1 billion) plan announced recently to guarantee food supplies can be funded adequately only if money is diverted from non-urgent public projects.

"We cannot wait for it (shortages) to happen first. Then there will be chaos," Abdullah said. "As such, the government has restructured the allocations for less urgent projects which can be delayed."

Widespread discontentment among Malaysians will occur if the government does not make plans to guarantee a supply of food with prices steadily rising over the last year, Abdullah said.

"The government has also decided to create a buffer stock not only for rice but also other essential goods needed by the people regardless of whether they are poor, rich, from the urban or rural areas," he said.

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