KUALA LUMPUR: There is a quiet, simmering tension in Malaysia’s agricultural corridors – and it smells like a brewing storm over the livestock industry, specifically pork.
The government aims to achieve a pork self-sufficiency rate (SSR) of 90 per cent by 2030, up from 67.8 per cent in 2024.
However, some believe it may be easier to open the doors to exporters rather than strengthen the local farming industry.
The Veterinary Services Department, late last year, approved three pork exporters from Brazil – BRF S.A., Bugio Agropecuaria LTDA and Alibem Alimentos S.A. – to export pork to Malaysia for three years. Last month, The Nation quoted Sitthiphan Thanakiatpinyo, president of the Swine Raisers Association of Thailand, as saying Malaysia had allowed four Thai operators to export chilled and frozen pork and pork cuts to Malaysia.
Twentytwo13, last week, reached out to the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry and is awaiting a response.
Exporters catering to mass consumption worldwide can provide cheaper meat. However, industry players pointed to cautionary tales right on Malaysia’s doorstep, warning that any plans to welcome more pork exporters may slaughter the local pork sector.
“Take the Philippines, for example. Manila opened its doors to all Brazilian pork plants, but local growers are reeling, struggling to keep their heads above water as the market is flooded with cheap foreign protein,” said an industry insider who declined to be named.
Based on the latest data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Philippines is now Brazil’s main destination for its pork products after the South American country exported 433,595 metric tonnes in carcass-weight equivalent in 2025.
In August 2025, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations revealed that 177 smallholder pig farmers in the Philippines have become local biosecurity champions through FAO’s Community ASF Biosecurity Intervention (CABI) programme. Their graduation marks a critical milestone in the fight against African swine fever (ASF).
“Thai pig farmers are also sounding the alarm over US imports. They too are still recovering from ASF and cannot compete with massive, state-backed agro-producers from the West,” he added.
In November, Worawut Siripun, the deputy secretary-general of the Swine Raisers Association of Thailand, told Al Jazeera that if US pork is allowed into Thailand without duties, the kingdom’s food security is at stake.
On the domestic front, the Selangor government said it would stop issuing pig farming licences and accelerate the closure of all existing farms in the state. The decision was made during a State Executive Council meeting last month following a decree by the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.
Sarawak, on the other hand, aims to increase its annual pig production from 350,000 animals in 2025 to 860,000 by 2030, targeting RM1 billion in exports by 2030.
Sarawak’s Minister for Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development Stephen Rundi Utom was quoted last month as saying the state’s demographic composition has supported the growth of the pig-rearing industry, which operates away from residential areas using modern methods and strict hygiene standards.
Another industry player said that if regulatory pressure sidelines farmers, market power will inevitably concentrate in the hands of large-scale importers. This would hurt food security as overreliance on imports amid global uncertainties is dangerous.
“The three importers from Brazil are sufficient given the consumption pattern. We need to allow local farmers to remain in the game, provided they also evolve in how they operate their farms,” he said.
On March 12, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Chan Foong Hin said the government aims to achieve a pork SSR of 90 per cent by 2030.
He added the present rate indicates that domestic demand still relies partly on imported pork.
Chan, during the question-and-answer session in Dewan Negara, said local production is being strengthened through several measures, including the export of live pigs from Sarawak to Peninsular Malaysia and improved prevention of animal and zoonotic diseases to boost farm productivity.
“To address the impact of fluctuations in global livestock feed prices on production costs and market prices, we continuously monitor live pig selling prices at the farm level as well as feed costs,” he said.
Chan said that in 2025, the average farm-gate price of live pigs was around RM17.80 per kilogramme.
He added Putrajaya will also encourage large-scale commercial cultivation of grain corn domestically to reduce 30 per cent dependence on imported corn by 2040.
