Malaysia to conduct agriculture census every 10 years

New Straits Times

29-05-2025

SERDANG: The Agriculture Census will now be conducted every 10 years to ensure baseline data remains relevant and aligned with current and future challenges, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
He said the move will help strengthen the agricultural sector's data infrastructure.
"With the 2024 Agriculture Census, we now have comprehensive and up-to-date baseline data for the sector, something that hasn't been done in over two decades.
"This data provides a crucial foundation for evidence-based policymaking, enabling more accurate, inclusive and effective planning, as well as implementation and monitoring," he said in his speech at the launch of the 2024 Agriculture Census Interim Report today.
Also present were Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup and Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin.
The last time Malaysia conducted an Agriculture Census was in 2005.
Fadillah said short-term agriculture surveys would also be carried out periodically starting next year to improve data availability and support continuous sector monitoring.
Meanwhile, the 2024 Agriculture Census — conducted by the Department of Statistics Malaysia from July 7 to Oct 10 last year — covered households and business organisations involved in agricultural activities.
It included food crops and commodities, livestock, fisheries and aquaculture, as well as logging and forestry.
Fadillah said what was presented in the report was not merely data, but a symbol of the commitment and dedication of all parties involved.
Touching on the findings of the 2024 Agriculture Census, Fadillah, who is also the energy transition and water transformation minister, said 458,395 individuals (45.4 per cent) of agricultural operators are aged 60 and above, while 326,287 (32.3 per cent) are between the ages of 46 and 59.
Meanwhile, 224,147 agricultural operators (22.2 per cent) are aged between 15 and 45.
"There is a need to rejuvenate the agriculture sector by attracting the participation of the younger generation in this field.
"Without a skilled and competitive workforce among the youth, the goal of strengthening national food security and reducing reliance on imports will be difficult to achieve," he said.
Fadillah urged all parties, including policymakers and researchers, to leverage the statistics to chart directions and interventions in the agriculture sector, especially in addressing national food security issues.
At the event, the Agriculture Products Price Dashboard (MyAgroPrice) was also launched.
It is another key initiative for the digitisation of the country's agricultural statistics.
The dashboard displays average prices for 60 selected agricultural products across three key stages of the supply chain — farm, wholesale, and retail levels — by state, over a monthly time series from 2020 to 2024.
MyAgroPrice adds value for farmers by providing accurate and accessible price information, helping them to better plan marketing strategies and reduce the price information gap among industry players.
The dashboard plays an important role for policymakers to monitor price stability, identify market trends, and design more targeted interventions for the well-being of the people and the nation's food security.