Malaysia’s food trade witnessed a remarkable surge in 2022, with imports reaching RM75.6 billion compared to exports valued at RM44.6 billion, as reported by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
The total trade in Malaysian food products amounted to RM120.2 billion last year, marking a significant increase of 31.8 percent or RM29 billion compared to the previous year.
The food industry remains a key contributor to the country’s economy, driven by high and sustained demand.
Malaysia’s Chief Statistician, Datuk Seri Dr. Mohd Uzir Mahidin, highlighted that the substantial increase in food imports compared to exports contributed to a trade deficit of RM31 billion in 2022.
He mentioned that over the past 32 years, the trend in Malaysia’s food export and import has been uncertain, with the highest export growth recorded in 2008 (20.6 percent) and the peak import growth observed last year (41.3 percent).
“Singapore remains the top destination country, contributing 19.1 percent to Malaysia’s total food exports last year. China is the second-highest destination country for food exports with a value of RM5.6 billion.”
“The main countries of origin for Malaysia’s food products in 2022 were dominated by China, valued at RM8.7 billion (11.5 percent of food imports), followed by Argentina (RM7.9 billion) and Thailand (RM7 billion),” he said in a statement today.
Mohd Uzir emphasised the significant role of the food processing industry in Malaysia, contributing 1.6 percent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with an added value of RM28.1 billion in the manufacturing sector in 2022.
He noted that Malaysia’s fruit trade experienced rapid growth, increasing from RM427.8 million in 1990 to RM6.1 billion in 2022.
Additionally, the meat sector in Malaysia also underwent substantial growth, with exports rising from RM11.1 million in 2020 to RM21.3 million in 2022.
