ANIMAL FEED INDUSTRY IN MALAYSIA - A REPORT

MALAYSIA'S ANIMAL FEED IMPORTS are projected to reach 193 million kilograms in 2026 an increase from 183 million kilograms in 2021 with a growth of 0.9% per year on average. Since 1994 reported that demand in Malaysia has grown by 6.9% per year. In 2021 alone reported that Malaysia came or ranked in at number 29 behind Palestine's 182.6 million kilograms. According to Department of Statistic Malaysia recorded that fo export in 2021, Malaysia exported $354M in Animal Food in which it is making it the 24th largest exporter of Animal Food in the world. At the same year 2021, Animal Food was the 121st most exported product in Malaysia. The main destination of Animal Food exports from Malaysia are: United States ($85.7M), Singapore ($64.6M), Vietnam ($50.1M), Brunei ($24.3M), and China ($10.6M). The fastest growing export markets for Animal Food of Malaysia between 2020 and 2021 were Vietnam ($35M), Singapore ($29.9M), and United States ($23.8M). As for the import data, in 2021, Malaysia imported $461M in Animal Food, becoming the 27th largest importer of Animal Food in the world. At the same year reported that the Animal Food was the 103rd most imported product in Malaysia. Malaysia imports Animal Food primarily from: Thailand ($170M), Vietnam ($64.7M), China ($49.2M), United States ($27.1M), and Singapore ($17.6M). The fastest growing import markets in Animal Food for Malaysia between 2020 and 2021 were Thailand ($39.7M), France ($5.31M), and Brunei ($5M). As comparison about question who are the largest importers of animal feed?. The Netherlands was the leading importer of cat and dog food worldwide in 2022 in terms of volume, importing over 920 million kilograms. Ranked second, Germany imported around 821 million kilograms of cat and dog food that year. This articel in blog "Anim Agriculture Technology" it will discuss animal feed industry in Malaysia from various primary data analysis.

Reported in nstp.com a report on 'We need comprehensive food security policies' relevant to this topic. Arable land is defined by the authorised United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) as land used, or potentially being used, to grow seasonal crops. This definition excludes land used for pasturing, for tree-farming or for more durable agricultural products such as vineyards, orchards, and coffee and rubber plantations. In turn reported that non-arable land can be made arable, for example, by removing forests or tilling pasture land. Some land, such as mountains, tundra or desert and it was permanently non-arable. The increasing food prices in our nation Malaysia is due to a combination of hoarding and the war between Russia and Ukraine. That's on top of a pandemic where cases can suddenly spike because of sub-variants of the virus that causes Covid-19. The challenges facing Malaysia are huge as 60 percent of our food is imported. In 2020, the country imported RM55.4 billion (US$12.67 billion) of foodstuffs. The country is dependent on imports for 88.8 per cent of mutton and 76.4 per cent of beef in which are mostly buffaloes from India. Malaysia is now importing chicken to fill the void in the market due to the closure of many poultry farms. More imports mean more outflow of ringgit, causing it to weaken further. Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Datuk stated that the frozen chicken would be imported from other suitable country such as Thailand, China and Brazil and even though prices from these countries were higher than other countries as according to industry sources. The three mention countries, however actually have their own problems and it leading to rising prices. Thailand is facing an African swine fever outbreak that leading to a sudden rise in the demand for chicken. Brazil is also a questionable source as the most Middle Eastern markets have banned its meat and chicken due to doubts over halal integrity.

Reported that in the media the high price of Thai chicken was acknowledged by DVS who is responsible for issuing approved permits for importing chicken into Malaysia. Even though the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry has launched capacity-development programmes as the perception of farming among locals is very low. Most have been conditioned to aspire to work in the corporate or government sector. This is in great contrast to Thailand, where many smallholders have degrees in agriculture and business, and operate their farms as businesses. State governments are doing very little to allocate land for food production. Currently, 103,563 ha of farmland are abandoned, making up 46,382 lots in 2019 that couldn't be utilised due to ownership issues. This doesn't include idle or unused land in the hands of the authorities.  Then reported that there is the rise in the price of fertiliser, which is a global phenomenon. It hits the United States just as badly as it affects the United Kingdom, Europe and Africa, triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb 24. Even Israel and the Arab world import 40 to 50 per cent of their food from Ukraine, which is famous for the high quality of its mineral-rich "black soil". In Europe reeported that farmers said they were likely to offset the price rises by buying less fertiliser than usual this season for cereal crops, potentially leading to lower production at a time when there is a threat to supplies from Ukraine. Although Asians don't consume much wheat, oats, barley, corn and other cereals, these are things which Malaysia imports as animal feed. Therefore, Malaysian producers and consumers will also face imported agricultural and fertiliser inflation. This is happening because Malaysia has over emphasised the importance of manufacturing rather than ensuring a stable supply of locally produced food. What can Malaysia do? We need comprehensive food security policies, now.

The report 'Efforts underway to promote maize cultivation, reduce import reliance' as a pilot project had begun in Perlis last February involving 750,000 maize plants covering a plantation of 15ha. Reported that efforts are underway to aggressively promote the cultivation of maize as animal feed to reduce Malaysia's reliance on imports. The initiative is also geared towards addressing rising food prices in which an agency known as Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda) will also facilitate planters to breed chicken and cattle. RISDA have launched an incentive scheme with farmers to encourage the cultivation of crops such as corn used as animal feed, in a bid to address rising food prices. Goverment will encourage small rubber planters to diversify their planting portfolios, instead of relying on rubber trees as their sole source of income. A pilot project that begun in Perlis last February involving 750,000 maize plants covering a plantation of 15ha. It was estimated to produce 82 tonnes of corn in six months during the July harvest. The programme will involve short-term and long-term farming, as well as one catered for rearing livestock. The short-term programme focuses on growing maize, the long-term concentrated on palm oil and rubber plantations, while the one on livestock is targeted towards rearing chicken and cattle. The rise in prices resulted in the government responding with remedial measures that included the abolition of approved permits (AP) for essential food imports. The government has announced the temporary ban on chicken exports to meet local demand and stabilise prices. The short-term programme focuses on growing maize, the long-term concentrated on palm oil and rubber plantations, while the one on livestock is targeted towards rearing chicken and cattle. Risda will provide the rubber planters with maize seeds with the assurance of buying their crops upon harvest. Thanks...

By,

M Anem,

Putrajaya,

Malaysia.

(January 2024).