Regulatory Performance and Supply Chain Resilience in the Agrofood Sector: An Integrated Governance Perspective

Abstract

The agrofood sector has become increasingly vulnerable to supply chain disruptions, regulatory fragmentation, market manipulation, compliance weaknesses and rising public expectations for food security. These challenges show that food security is not only a matter of production capacity, but also a question of how effectively regulatory systems coordinate, monitor and respond across the agrofood value chain. Existing studies on agrofood supply chains often emphasise productivity, logistics, sustainability and market access, while less attention has been given to the role of regulatory performance in strengthening supply chain resilience. This paper develops an integrated governance perspective that links regulatory coordination, compliance intelligence, performance measurement and adaptive resilience in the agrofood sector. Using Malaysia as a contextual reference, the paper discusses how fragmented enforcement mandates, uneven digital integration, inconsistent performance indicators and limited end-to-end supply chain visibility can weaken regulatory effectiveness. The paper proposes a conceptual framework that positions regulatory performance as a strategic capability for improving agrofood resilience. The framework suggests that resilient agrofood systems require not only efficient industry actors, but also coordinated regulatory institutions that can share information, assess risk, measure outcomes and support timely corrective action.