KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 22 — An Agriculture and Food Security Ministry (KPKM) delegation is currently visiting the United States as Malaysia moves towards implementing the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) between both countries, said the Malaysian embassy.
The KPKM delegation, led by secretary-general Isham Ishak, made a courtesy call to Malaysian ambassador to the United States, Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob, in Washington DC last Monday.
“The delegation is currently on a working visit to the relevant agricultural competent authorities in the US to further the domestic processes toward the implementation of the Agreement on the Reciprocal Trade (ART) signed between Malaysia and the US on 26 October 2026,” said the Malaysian embassy in Washington DC in a Facebook post Tuesday. (ART was signed on October 26, 2025, not 2026).
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA), including its Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), is headquartered in Washington DC.
The KPKM delegation is currently on a one-week working visit to the US from last January 17 to 24. Previously, KPKM announced that its delegation to the US would inspect and benchmark American food safety and agricultural systems under commitments linked to ART.
Under the trade deal, Malaysia must recognise US food safety and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) systems for meat, poultry, dairy, and certain agricultural products, streamlining import eligibility by accepting US federal inspection directories and limiting additional approval requirements.
The Malaysian Veterinary Medical Association (Mavma) previously warned that ART risked undermining Malaysia’s veterinary authority and control over food safety, biosecurity, and halal standards, due to a requirement for automatic recognition of American food safety systems.
Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Johari Ghani reportedly told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday that the government would clarify and redefine key terms before finalising ART ratification, amid widespread concerns from legislators about the trade pact’s impact on national sovereignty.
KPKM’s visit to US agricultural authorities, however, indicates that Malaysia is preparing its domestic processes on at least the agriculture and food safety front ahead of ART coming into effect.
Under the agreement, Malaysia must implement the new import procedures and recognition mechanisms immediately upon the deal’s entry into force, with 180-day and 15-month transition windows for disease regionalisation measures on poultry and swine respectively.
ART will take effect once both countries complete their domestic ratification processes.
After a visit to Malaysia from January 14 to 15, including a courtesy call to Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke Lindberg told local media that ART showed that “Malaysia agreed to recognise that the US food system is safe”.
Lindberg reportedly said the trade deal would see “full implementation” in the next couple of months, enabling American agribusinesses to compete on a “level playing field” in Malaysia.
Earlier today, the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service tweeted Lindberg promoting American high-quality whole milk at a supermarket in Kuala Lumpur.
“President Donald J. Trump is bringing whole milk to schools all across America. But we’re also bringing it to our friends and allies all around the world,” Lindberg said in a video while holding a glass of milk. “Here in Malaysia, dairy exports up 23 per cent this year, cheese exports up 245 per cent.”
In another video standing before the Twin Towers, Lindberg said his delegation to Malaysia last week included representatives from the dairy, soybean, grain, peanuts, and fruits and vegetables sectors. “We are making a difference across the entire agricultural industry in the United States to get wins for our farmers and ranchers, get real sales done, put dollars back in your pockets”.
“It’s great to be here in Malaysia this week, where we’re moving agriculture forward,” he added.
Separately, Mohamad has defended ART as a supplement to the national agri-food sector.
In a written Dewan Rakyat reply to Bakri Jamaluddin (PN-Tangga Batu) last Tuesday, Mohamad acknowledged Malaysia’s trade deficit with the US in agri-food, noting that in 2024, Malaysia imported RM3.1 billion in agri-food from the US (2.5 per cent of total imports), compared to RM3.03 billion agri-food exports to the US (1.5 per cent of total exports).
“Imports of agricultural products from the United States are complementary to the national agri-food sector, particularly for products with limited or seasonal domestic production, such as dairy products, animal feed, and grains,” said Mohamad.
“These imports also serve as important inputs for local industries and support the development of the agri-food value chain.
“From the perspective of food security, the diversification of supply sources helps reduce the risk of supply disruptions and supports the development of the agri-food industry without compromising the interests of local producers.”
Bakri had asked if the government conducted an impact assessment to evaluate the impact of “extremely wide” entry of US agricultural products into Malaysia, due to the trade pact, on local farmers, especially small- and medium-holder farmers.
“Furthermore, in terms of quality, KPKM is strengthening SPS elements as a control mechanism to ensure high food safety standards, including local produce recognised through myGAP and myOrganic certification,” said Mohamad.
“This strategy positions local products in a premium segment that emphasises safety and biosecurity quality, while at the same time building domestic consumer loyalty to local brands.”
