Malaysia: Malaysia and Thailand have successfully resolved issues concerning fisheries market access and have agreed to implement the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Agricultural Cooperation within a week. This resolution was achieved during Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's inaugural visit to Malaysia.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the MoU was formally exchanged between Malaysia's Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu and Thailand's Agriculture Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit, with Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Anutin Charnvirakul in attendance. Anwar emphasized that the agreement underscores both nations' dedication to enhancing food security and boosting bilateral trade. He noted the swift timeline for the MoU's activation, reducing the proposed timeframe from one and a half months to just one week.
Anutin Charnvirakul highlighted the importance of food security in their discussions, acknowledging the collaborative efforts of both nations' agriculture ministers in resolving market access challenges for fishery and agricultural products.
In a statement, Malaysia's Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security elaborated on the MoU's comprehensive framework, which encompasses strategic areas such as crop production, livestock, fisheries, trade facilitation, and marketing. The agreement also addresses research and development, capacity building, biosecurity, and sanitary and phytosanitary measures, aiming to improve communication and coordination among relevant authorities.
The ministry added that the framework would allow for a more structured, transparent, and continuous mechanism to address agriculture and agri-food issues efficiently. This follows recent bilateral discussions focusing on trade, investment, agriculture, food security, and regional matters of shared concern.
Previously, on June 1, Malaysia imposed tighter import controls on Thai fisheries products, requiring Certificates of Analysis for barramundi and temporarily restricting imports of five shrimp species. These measures affected species such as the brown tiger prawn and giant tiger prawn, among others.
Trade between Malaysia and Thailand in agriculture and agri-food continues to grow, reaching RM20.33 billion from January to December 2025. Malaysia exports products like coffee, cocoa, tea, spices, and processed foods to Thailand, while importing primarily meat and meat-based products.