KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 — The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry (KPKM) says the Malaysia-United States Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) enables the US to be explored as a new source country to strengthen Malaysia’s food security.
In a written Dewan Rakyat reply dated February 9, KPKM minister Mohamad Sabu said ART also opens new export markets for local agricultural products.
“The signing of the ART agreement enables Malaysia to gain new market access for agricultural products. This is expected to increase the value of agricultural exports to the US, which as of September 2025 had reached RM8.83 billion,” Mohamad said in response to Shahidan Kassim’s (PN-Arau) question on the benefits of ART.
“At the same time, through this agreement, Malaysia can explore the US as one of the new source countries to ensure food security within the national food supply chain in the future.”
Mohamad also noted that Article 2.3 of the ART Agreement commits Malaysia to implementing sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures that are science-based and aligned with international standards, and not to use SPS rules as trade barriers.
Under the ART Agreement, Malaysia has committed to recognise US SPS measures and food safety systems, meaning Kuala Lumpur must accept American regulatory standards, export certification, and facility lists for meat, poultry, dairy, and other agricultural products as meeting Malaysian import requirements.
This includes streamlined halal certification, recognition of US SPS measures without additional registration, and adoption of regionalisation measures for animal diseases, embedding US food safety standards into Malaysia’s trade framework.
Mohamad said the adoption of US SPS measures means that any future agreements Malaysia undertakes with third countries must also comply with the same commitment.
The KPKM minister noted that Malaysia’s trade agreements are guided by international bodies including the World Trade Organization (WTO), International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and Codex Alimentarius.
Mohamad was responding to a question from Shahidan Kassim (PN-Arau), who asked about the economic impact of Article 2.3 of the ART Agreement, particularly in relation to Malaysia’s agreements with third countries, as well as the overall benefits of the trade pact to the agricultural industry.
CodeBlue previously reported professional and veterinary groups in Malaysia cautioning that automatic recognition of foreign food safety systems could raise concerns about domestic regulatory authority and halal oversight, even as the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) maintains that technical safeguards remain in place.
