Malaysia's Food Security Policy and Self-Sufficiency Targets

According to the Agriculture Census 2024, for every kilogram of rice consumed in Malaysia, roughly 400 grams is imported rice. That figure sums up the country’s food security challenge: an agricultural nation that still imports a large share of its staple food.

To close this gap, the government devised the National Agrofood Policy 2.0 (DAN 2.0), the backbone of Malaysia’s food security policy for the 2021-2030 decade.

What is the National Agrofood Policy 2.0?

DAN 2.0 is the master policy for Malaysia’s agrofood sector for the 2021-2030 period. It was launched on 25 October 2021 by the then Prime Minister, Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, through a virtual event, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries (MAFI) — now known as the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM).

The policy outlines the aspiration to make the country’s agrofood sector more sustainable, resilient and high-tech. Among its main focuses are modernisation and smart agriculture as catalysts, strengthening the value chain, developing skilled talent, sustainable agricultural practices, and a conducive business ecosystem.

From an economic standpoint, DAN 2.0 is reported to target Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of the agrofood sector of 5% per year by 2030, compared with the projected 4.5% per year over the period of the Twelfth Malaysia Plan.

How high are the self-sufficiency level (SSL) targets by 2030?

The most frequently referenced core of DAN 2.0 is the self-sufficiency level (SSL) target — the ratio of local production to domestic consumption. The table below compares the 2030 targets with the latest SSR positions recorded by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

Commodity	2030 SSL Target (DAN 2.0)	Latest position
Rice	80%	SSR 56.2% (2023)
Fruits	83%	Mixed — durian 103.7%, pineapple 102.1%, mango 20.6% (2024)
Vegetables	79%	Mixed — tomato 113.0%, chilli 35.8% (2024)
Beef	50%	Import dependency ratio 83.5% (2024)
Fresh milk	100%	—
Fish	98%	Mixed — tuna 108.3%, barramundi 12.3% (2024)

The SSR figures by commodity paint an uneven picture. In 2024, DOSM reported that 24 out of 60 selected commodities recorded an SSR above 100% — among them papaya (142.4%), sugarcane (179.7%) and duck eggs (107.0%). Yet the country still relies heavily on imports for several basic items, especially beef (import dependency ratio 83.5%) and mutton (92.1%).

Why is the rice SSR recorded at 56.2%?

The rice figure requires a careful explanation. According to the Agriculture Census 2024 (DOSM), over the past decade Malaysia’s rice SSR moved between 63 and 70. Then in October 2024, the ministry announced that the 2023 rice SSR was only 56.2% — a seemingly sharp decline.

Much of that decline is not because production collapsed, but because the calculation method was changed to align with the guidelines of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The new method only takes into account clean paddy that is genuinely processed into rice, and no longer includes paddy production for seed purposes within the same year.

Even so, actual production also fell. According to the ministry, paddy production dropped 4.7% from 2.28 million tonnes (2022) to 2.18 million tonnes (2023), while milled rice production declined to about 1.5 million tonnes (from 1.57 million tonnes in 2022). Per capita rice consumption was recorded at 76.7 kilograms per year.

The import context explains the rest: according to the Agriculture Census 2024, rice imports rose by about 30% over the decade, from around 853 thousand tonnes (2013) to 1,113 thousand tonnes (2022) — a trend that has worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Who coordinates the country’s food security?

Malaysia’s food security depends on several complementary institutions:

• KPKM (formerly MAFI) — the lead ministry that formulates and monitors DAN 2.0 and sets the SSL targets.
• Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) — issues the annual Supply and Utilization Accounts that serve as the official source for SSR figures, import dependency ratios (IDR) and per capita consumption.
• Government interim targets — the rice SSR target of 75% by 2025 which is aligned with the 80% goal by 2030 under DAN 2.0.
• National rice buffer stock — as a safety net, the country maintains a rice buffer stock of 40,000 tonnes and trading stock of about 240,233 tonnes (2023).

This arrangement means targets are set at the policy level, measured independently by DOSM, and supported by a stock mechanism to face sudden supply disruptions.

What are the main challenges in closing the gap?

The gap between the 80% target (rice, 2030) and the 56.2% position (2023) highlights several structural barriers.

1. Unstable production — paddy yields are exposed to weather, input costs, and land-use conversion.
2. Entrenched import dependence — for beef and some vegetables such as chilli, local production is far below demand.
3. Cost and climate — some items such as temperate fruits are simply not suited to commercial production in Malaysia.
4. Change in measurement method — the alignment with the FAO makes the figures more accurate but also shows the actual position to be lower than long-held assumptions.

In short, achieving a high SSL is not merely a matter of planting more, but a question of productivity, land, capital and agronomic realities.

What’s next

Watch DOSM’s annual Supply and Utilization Accounts for the latest SSR figures for each commodity — this is the official measure that determines whether Malaysia is moving closer to or further from the DAN 2.0 targets. Also keep an eye on the mid-term review of RMK-12 and the budget allocations for paddy programmes, as the interim 75% target (2025) is an early indicator of whether the 80% goal (2030) is still within reach.

For a deeper picture, related articles on the paddy industry and the role of KPKM will explain the implementation mechanisms behind these policy figures.