How much did Malaysia export in processed food in 2025?

RM38.47 billion, up 8.8% — the highest value ever recorded, according to MATRADE.

Are food exports still growing in 2026?

No. For the first half of 2026 they fell 12.4%, and Malaysia became a net importer of processed food in June 2026.

Does Malaysia run a food trade deficit or surplus?

Both, depending on the definition. Agrofood alone: a RM33.92 billion deficit. Including palm oil, rubber and forestry: a RM33.50 billion surplus.

Malaysia's Processed Food Exports Hit a Record in 2025 — Then Fell 12.4% in 2026

MATRADE called 2025 the highest export value ever recorded. The first half of 2026 tells a very different story, and almost nobody is writing about it.

Written by Steven YC Tan · Food Industry, Product Innovation & Operations Contributor

Reviewed by KilangHALAL Editorial Board — every figure traced to its publisher and dated; forecasts and commercial estimates labelled as such

Malaysia's processed food exports reached RM38.47 billion in 2025, up 8.8% — in MATRADE's own words, "the highest export value ever".

Then it reversed. For the first half of 2026, processed food exports were RM16.56 billion — down 12.4% on the same period a year earlier.

Measure	Value	Change
Processed food exports 2025	RM38.47 billion	+8.8% — highest ever recorded
Processed food imports 2025	RM30.78 billion	−3.8%
Processed food exports 1H2026	RM16.56 billion	−12.4%
June 2026 exports	RM2.48 billion	−18.4%
June 2026 imports	RM2.56 billion	+11.0%
Agrofood trade deficit 2025	−RM33.92 billion	narrowed 13.8%

The reversal nobody is reporting

In June 2026 exports fell 18.4% while imports rose 11.0%. That month, Malaysia became a net importer of processed food.

This happened while national exports were setting records: RM971.59 billion in 1H2026, up 27.5%. That strength came from electronics and semiconductors, not food.

Anyone writing "Malaysian food exports are booming" in 2026 copy is quoting 2025 data.

The food deficit, and two official definitions that disagree

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security reports for 2025: agrofood exports RM58.80 billion, imports RM92.72 billion — a deficit of RM33.92 billion, narrowed 13.8% from 2024.

But on the wider basket — agrofood plus palm oil, rubber and forestry — Malaysia records a surplus of RM33.50 billion.

Both are official. The sign flips with the definition. Always state which one is being quoted; this is the commonest source of confusion in Malaysian food coverage.

Where Malaysian food goes (2025, RM million)

Singapore 11,645.6 · China 6,396.2 · United States 4,688.6 (the biggest jump, from 3,029.6) · Indonesia 3,605.2 · Thailand 3,444.1 · Japan 2,832.4 · Australia 2,296.7 · Philippines 2,310.5.

OIC markets are smaller than many assume: UAE 950.4, Türkiye 947.4, Saudi Arabia 806.1.

One figure to correct

A May 2025 press quote from the Deputy Agriculture Minister gave "RM93 billion imports, RM50 billion exports, roughly RM43 billion deficit". The import figure matches 2024, but the export and deficit figures do not match the ministry's own published table (RM54.38 billion / RM39.34 billion). Use the published table, not the soundbite.

There is no official 2026 forecast

No official Malaysian body publishes a 2026 food export forecast. Bank Negara forecasts GDP at 4.0–5.0% with no food line; the Ministry of Finance forecasts total exports +2.8% — a number already overtaken by 2025's actual outturn. Anyone quoting a 2026 food forecast is quoting a private research house.

Sources and vintage

Figures on this page are as published by the bodies below, and are dated in the text where the vintage matters. Trade statistics are revised: 2025 figures from MATRADE and KPKM are provisional and will be restated. Where a figure is a forecast or a commercial estimate rather than an actual, we say so on the line itself.