December 22, 2025

 

Malaysia in final stages of concluding national corn industry policy

 

 

The inaugural National Grain Corn Conference 2025, held on December 18, is seen as having the potential to enhance government policies in developing the country's grain corn industry, while also strengthening national food security.

 

Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said the government, through his ministry, is currently in the final stages of finalising the National Grain Corn Industry Development Policy, with a new approach that encompasses the entire value chain.

 

"Last year, I witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the government, FGV Integrated Farming Holdings Sdn Bhd, and Genting Plantations Bhd to develop the grain corn industry," Mohamad Sabu said when officiating the conference.

 

"This year, we have successfully translated that commitment into actual implementation on the ground. This morning, I visited the 2,000-hectare FGV Grain Corn Farm at Chuping Agro Valley (FCAV) in Chuping, Perlis, which serves as a pilot project for large-scale grain corn cultivation."

 

He said in the initial phase of implementation, grain corn production at the FGV farm has shown encouraging results, with an average yield of about four tonnes per hectare.

 

"Grain corn cultivation has its own unique advantages, as all parts of the crop can be fully utilised. Through this pilot project, biomass fodder used as animal feed has also been generated, at about 19 tonnes per hectare," Mohamad Sabu added.

 

"These efforts are increasingly significant when we examine the country's dependence on grain corn imports. From 2010 to 2024, Malaysia imported an average of 2.5 million tonnes of grain corn annually, with import values exceeding RM3 billion (US$734.8 million) each year."

 

According to Mohamad Sabu, this has major implications for the trade balance as well as the security of the country's food supply.

 

At the same time, he also said poultry, egg, and ruminant livestock industries are among the key subsectors prioritised by the government, given their high dependence on grain corn as animal feed.

 

"At present, the self-sufficiency levels stand at 93% for the poultry industry, 107% for eggs, while ruminant livestock is around 17%," he added.

 

- The Edge Malaysia