KUALA LUMPUR, March 11 — Livestock farming areas in Malaysia have shrunk sharply in recent years, with land in government-designated livestock production zones declining by nearly half amid development pressures, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM).
KPKM Minister Mohamad Sabu told the Dewan Rakyat that livestock farming areas within Permanent Food Production Parks (TKPM) and grazing fields nationwide are currently estimated at 25,223.84 hectares as of January 2026.
Of that total, grazing areas account for about 20,741.42 hectares, while livestock areas within TKPM make up 4,482.42 hectares, he said in a written parliamentary reply on March 3 to Wan Razali Wan Nor (PN-Kuantan).
However, Mohamad said trends since 2017 show a decline in livestock farming land.
“Trends since 2017 show a decline in the size of livestock farming areas, where over a five-year period the Livestock TKPM area has shrunk by nearly 48 per cent, while grazing areas have decreased by around 25 per cent,” Mohamad said.
According to the minister, the shrinking footprint of livestock farming reflects pressures from development and land-use changes.
“The reduction in agricultural and livestock areas is a direct impact of development and rapid urbanisation,” Mohamad said.
“Changes in land status for housing projects, as well as infrastructure development, have placed pressure on the boundaries of existing agricultural and grazing areas.”
Mohamad added that livestock farming areas also face competition from other agricultural uses, including commodity crops.
“Competition with other commodity crops such as oil palm, as well as food crops (vegetables and fruits) that are seen as more competitive in terms of short-term economic returns, has also caused livestock farming lots to become increasingly constrained,” he said.
To prevent further declines in local meat production capacity, the government is implementing several initiatives to optimise existing livestock areas and increase output.
These include optimising undeveloped areas in Permanent Food Production Parks (TKPM) and Permanent Ruminant Production Parks (TKPR) in Peninsular Malaysia through breedlot farming systems and the planting of Napier grass.
Other initiatives include the Pengganda 30 programme, the Rezeki Ternak Ruminant programme, the National Satellite Farm (LSN) project, and breeding cattle integration projects in oil palm plantations led by farmers’ organisations.
The ministry also highlighted the role of Veterinary Extension Centres (VetEC) in helping farmers increase livestock production capacity, alongside efforts to strengthen livestock disease control.
