Malaysia and Thailand resolve outstanding fisheries issues and agree to bring the agriculture MoU into force within one week.
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia and Thailand have resolved outstanding issues related to fisheries market access and agreed to bring into force the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Agricultural Cooperation within one week.
The MoU was concluded here today in conjunction with Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s first official visit to Malaysia.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Anutin witnessed the exchange of the MoU between Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu and his Thai counterpart Suriya Juangroongruangkit.
Speaking at the joint press conference, Anwar said the agreement reflected both countries’ commitment to strengthening food security and expanding bilateral trade.
“We have resolved this issue of outstanding issues on fisheries with both ministers’ commitment. They (Thailand) wanted the memorandum to come into effect in one and a half months, and we have agreed it should come into effect in one week,” he said.
Anutin also welcomed the effort, saying that food security was a key focus of the discussions.
“On food security, we welcome the meeting between our Agriculture Ministers to find amicable solutions in which we have concluded a moment ago to the pending cases of market access for fishery and agricultural products,” he said.
Meanwhile, in a statement, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security said the MoU provides a comprehensive framework for cooperation in strategic areas, including crop production, livestock, fisheries, trade facilitation and the marketing of agricultural products.
The agreement also covers research and development (R&D), capacity building, biosecurity, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, and other areas of mutual interest.
The ministry said the framework would strengthen communication and coordination between the relevant authorities through a more structured, transparent and continuous mechanism, enabling agriculture and agri-food issues to be addressed more quickly, effectively and proactively.
“The two leaders had also held bilateral talks last week, focusing on expanding cooperation in trade, investment, agriculture, food security, and regional and international issues of mutual concern,” it said.
On June 1, Malaysia tightened import controls on Thai fisheries products by requiring Certificates of Analysis (CoA) for barramundi and imposing a temporary import restriction on five specific shrimp species.
The temporary restriction covers Penaeus esculentes (brown tiger prawn), Fenneropenaeus merguiensis (banana prawn), Penaeus vannamei (whiteleg shrimp), Penaeus monodon (giant tiger prawn) and Penaeus stylirostris (blue shrimp).
Agricultural and agri-food trade between Malaysia and Thailand continued to expand, reaching RM20.33 billion between January and December 2025.
Malaysia’s main exports to Thailand include coffee, cocoa, tea, spices and processed food products, while its principal imports comprise meat and meat-based products.
