KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia still relies heavily on food imports, despite being blessed with land and natural resources, said Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Anthony Nogeh Gumbek.
He said from January to October last year, food imports were recorded at RM38.1 billion, while exports for the same period were only at RM24.3 billion
"We are still heavily reliant on imports to feed the population.
"Therefore, in order to reduce our import, there is a need for us to improve our food production in term of fisheries, rice and poultry," he said.
He said the government and the ministry have undertaken aggressive measures and efforts to be more self-sustainable in the future.
"This includes identifying new markets and products to be exported.
"Recently, we have just signed protocol with China to sell our pineapples and we are currently in the midst of finalising our protocol for raw bird nests," he told reporters after officiating the 18th Malaysian International Food & Beverage Trade Fair 2017 held here today.
Meanwhile on the fair, Anthony said it is a great boost to the food and beverage industry and called on more Malaysian entrepreneurs to get involved in the industry.
"It is highly lucrative as the human population increases every other day," he said.
The fair, which starts today and ends on Friday, has managed to draw in 550 companies from 50 countries including Malaysia, China, Thailand, Japan, South Korea and Turkey among others.
It showcases more than 10,000 products and also serves as a perfect platform for those in the industry to connect, network, and explore new business opportunities or expansion.
The fair organiser, Sphere Exhibits Malaysia said this year, the fair is expected to generate a trade value of US$450 million (RM1.9billion) compared to US$360 million (RM1.5billion) last year.
Its chairman Chua Wee Phong said the fair is expected to attract some 20,000 trade visitors, an increase by 19 per cent from 18,043 last year.
During the event, the Verify Halal mobile application was also launched for iOS users.
The app developed by Serunai Commerce Sdn Bhd with support from the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) was first launch for Android users on May 26, 2017.
This app will allow users to instantly verify on the halal status of products simply by scanning the barcode.
It is not only linked to Jakim's database, but also provides information of other certified halal products by foreign halal certification bodies, which is recognised by Jakim from all over the world.