Malaysia targets 80% rice self-sufficiency

Photo courtesy of The Star

Malaysia needs to raise its rice self-sufficiency ratio to at least 80 percent to keep national supplies at a comfortable level, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu has said.

The minister said a self-sufficiency level below 60 percent was not adequate for the country’s food security needs.

He said the ministry would continue working to improve Malaysia’s rice ecosystem and increase domestic production so that more of the country’s demand could be met locally.

Domestic production placed at centre of policy

The self-sufficiency ratio measures how much domestic demand can be covered by production within Malaysia. A higher percentage would reduce the gap that must be filled through imported rice.

Mohamad’s 80 percent target would represent a significant increase from a level below 60 percent. The statement places domestic growing capacity at the centre of the government’s approach to securing future supplies.

The ministry’s stated plan is to improve the wider rice ecosystem as well as production. The report did not detail a timetable for reaching the target or specify the individual measures that would be used.

Food security drives higher target

The minister linked the proposed increase directly to food security, saying the current level was not sufficiently comfortable for Malaysia.

Reaching 80 percent would still leave part of national demand supplied from overseas, but it would make locally produced rice responsible for a substantially larger share of consumption.

The policy challenge will involve maintaining supply while raising output and supporting the parts of the rice sector needed to deliver the increase.

No immediate change to retail prices, import arrangements or consumer purchasing rules was announced in the statement. The comments instead set out the level of domestic supply the minister believes Malaysia should achieve.

The ministry is expected to continue refining its approach as it works to strengthen production and the broader rice ecosystem.

What it means for foreigners in Malaysia

Foreign residents and businesses are not subject to any new requirement from this announcement. The target concerns national production and food security rather than individual purchases. If the policy succeeds, Malaysia would depend less heavily on imported rice, although imports would still cover part of demand. Consumers should wait for detailed government measures before drawing conclusions about prices or availability.

1 September 2026