Attachments
FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT
- Paddy production forecast slightly below-average in 2025
- Above-average cereal import requirements forecast in 2025/26
Paddy production forecast slightly below-average in 2025
Harvesting of the 2025 main paddy crop finalized last April, while harvesting of the secodnary paddy crop started in early June and is expected to finalize by the end of July. The 2025 aggregate paddy productionis forecast at 2.2 million tonnes, up from the 2024 reduced level, but slightly below the five-year average, largely due to the impacts of heavy rains and floods in the latter part of 2024 on main crop production, particularly in the Peninsular Malaysia.
Above-average cereal import requirements forecast in 2025/26
The country relies on cereal imports to meet its domestic requirements as local production covers only about one‑fourth of the total national cereal consumption. For the 2025/26 marketing year (July/June), total cereal import requirements are forecast at 7.4 million tonnes, about 7 percent above the average. Maize imports, which account for the bulk of the imported cereal amounts, are projected at 3.9 million tonnes, about 4 percent above the average , reflecting the steady demand by the poultry industry. Imports of wheat are forecast at 1.9 million tonnes, about 8 percent above the average, driven by the strong domestic demand for bread and bakery products, attributed to population growth and a year-on-year increase in arrivals of tourists. I mports of rice in the 2025 calendar year are forecast at 1.8 million tonnes.