Livestock Farmers in Malaysia: Key Issues in Development

Abstract

The paper examines the progress of livestock farming in Malaysia during the past decade and finds that many changes have taken place in the organisation of production. However, development has been very uneven. Broiler and egg production meet local demand and there is a minor but growing export of chicken meat. Similarly there is a net export of ducks. The pig industry has been especially successful, meeting all of the internal demand and providing steady exports. These segments have largely developed on their own, without any government assistance, other than the general umbrella of veterinary services. The ruminant sector on the other hand, despite considerable government assistance, remains relatively underdeveloped and Malaysia imports the bulk of its requirements of beef, mutton and dairy products. The farm case studies in this work show that the lack of government support to non-Malay farmers, especially failure to facilitate their access to secure land tenure, is having a major constraining effect of further development of this sector of agriculture.