Thai Pork Set for Malaysia; 2026 Imports to Hit 4bn Baht

"... Swine Raisers Association of Thailand..." - S R A T!

I can see why they're not the Pig Raisers Association of Thailand!

Who would’ve thought? Thailand shipping pork to Malaysia (a Muslim country)!

This article intrigued me, so I turned to the Web for more information about this.

To my surprise, although Malaysia may be majority Muslim, around 40% of the population are non-Muslim, made up of Chinese, Indian, and indigenous groups - and pork is a staple in their diets.

Also, Malaysia already has a pork industry, but demand often outstrips supply, so imports from Thailand are a win-win your booth countries.

Thailand solves its growing surplus problem and this also helps to keep domestic prices stable, while Malaysia ensures a steady supply for the non-Muslim market.

This deal also highlights Thailand’s hygiene and food safety standards, which passed Malaysia’s inspections.

So, Thailand has too much pork, Malaysia has people who want pork, and now everyone’s happy…except the pigs!

Pork is the best, Malaysians are missing out with their funny habits!

Chinese like their pork, 23% of Malaysians, about 7 million, are Chinese-Malaysian. But it's difficult to farm pigs in Malaysia, plenty of objections from the Muslim majority who don't want a pig farm anywhere near them, so importing from Thailand neatly solves the problem.

On 2/7/2026 at 9:05 AM, Stocky said:

Chinese like their pork, 23% of Malaysians, about 7 million, are Chinese-Malaysian. But it's difficult to farm pigs in Malaysia, plenty of objections from the Muslim majority who don't want a pig farm anywhere near them, so importing from Thailand neatly solves the problem.

And, there is the third biggest demographical group in Malaysia, Indian-origin Malaysians. I have no idea about their pork-eating habits, but I am assuming most of them mainly prefer chicken, lamb and fish. So, pork in Malaysia is mostly for the Chinese-origin folks there.

38 minutes ago, JemJem said:

I am assuming most of them mainly prefer chicken, lamb and fish

Correct, though there's no Hindu religious reason to not eat pork, unlike beef. Several years ago an Indian-Malaysian friend took me to a ChIndian fusion restaurant in Bangsa that served an excellent Butter Pork.