Malaysia FAO Country Profile – Food Security

Located in Southeast Asia, Malaysia is home to almost 28 million people. Although only about ten percent of Malaysians work in agriculture, the country’s agricultural exports are approximately double agricultural imports.

This is in part due to the fact that Malaysia boasts a robust fish production, at 1.73 million tonnes, and a strong industrial roundwood production (23 million tonnes). Indicators for quality of life show that over 20 years, a significant decrease has taken place in child mortality rates, which have dropped from 18 per 1 000 live births to 6. Still, 1 in 10 Malay children is underweight due to malnutrition.

FAO's main in-country programmes

Regional Programme for Food Security (RPFS)

Malaysia is a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). FAO is collaborating with the ASEAN secretariat in formulating an ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS) framework and a Strategic Plan of Action on Food Security in the ASEAN Region (SPA-FS). These documents were adopted by the ASEAN Ministers for Agriculture and Forestry in Hanoi, Viet Nam in October 2008.

Emergency Prevention System for Trans boundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases (EMPRES) – Animal Health Component

Malaysia officially reported Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreaks from 2004 to 2007 but only in domestic poultry. Since then, there has been no evidence of the reoccurrence of the disease and human cases have not, to date, been reported. Malaysia is a beneficiary country of several regional Technical Cooperation Programme projects put in place at the onset of the epizootic and emergency regional or multicountry projects; the latter are on-going.

In recent years, Malaysia has felt strong effects of Foot-and-Mouth (FMD) disease with hundreds of outbreaks per annum. Classical Swine Fever is known to be present. To better prevent and control these diseases, Malaysia will be one of the beneficiary countries (through the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation) of the under development European Commission regional cooperation programme on highly pathogenic and emerging diseases in Asia (targeting mainly HPAI and FMD and implemented by FAO and the World Organization for Animal Health). This programme will take place within the Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Trans boundary Animal Diseases for Asia framework.

http://www.fao.org/countries/55528/en/mys/