KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia's agricultural sector recorded a positive growth of 3.1 percent in 2024, an improvement from 0.2 percent in the previous year, according to official data.
The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said in a statement on Friday that the growth was mainly driven by the palm oil commodity, which recorded a growth of 5.1 percent.
Palm oil remained the largest contributor to the value added of the agricultural sector, amounting to 38.1 billion ringgit (9.42 billion U.S. dollars) (36.8 percent), followed by other agriculture at 29.7 billion ringgit (28.7 percent) and the livestock sub-sector at 17.4 billion ringgit (16.9 percent).
DOSM emphasized that the agricultural sector plays a vital role in ensuring a sufficient domestic food supply, while also contributing significantly to national income and export earnings.
Exports of agro-food and selected agricultural products increased from 160.7 billion ringgit in 2023 to 179.2 billion ringgit in 2024.
At the same time, total imports also rose to 154.4 billion ringgit in 2024 from 135.4 billion ringgit in 2023, with food imports amounting to 93.8 billion ringgit in 2024. (1 ringgit equals 0.25 U.S. dollars) ■