According to Datuk Dr Mohamad Zabawi Abdul Ghanim, the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi) director-general, said large-scale planting of onions is expected as soon as next year. The reason for this is that Malaysia is striving for self-sufficiency in onion production, hoping to reduce its reliance on imports and bolster domestic red onion cultivation.
The statistics from Malaysia’s Agricultural Commodity Supply and Use Account (2018-2022) reveal that Malaysia mainly imported fresh onions, including large, small and white varieties, with India being the primary source (62%), followed by the Netherlands (15%), China (9%), Pakistan (8%), Thailand (2%), Egypt (2%), and other countries (2%).
In 2022, Malaysia’s total onion imports, including various types, reached 685.4 tons, valued at RM1,578.4mil – a 9% increase from the previous year’s 622.2 tons, worth RM1,477.6mil. Large onions comprised the majority of imports, accounting for 71% (485.1 tons), followed by garlic at 22.1% (161.7 tons) and small onions at 6.3% (38.6 tons).
[ RM1 = €0.20 ]
Source: thestar.com.my