TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A video circulating on TikTok [archive] claims that Malaysia does not have enough rice to meet the needs of its population. This situation is reported to have caused turmoil in the Malaysian parliament.
The video shows a collage of activities by Indonesian Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and scenes from the Malaysian parliament. The narration in the video compares Indonesia, which has stopped rice imports, with Malaysia, which does not have enough rice to meet the needs of its population.
Similar content is also circulating on Facebook. Is it true that Malaysia has no rice stocks?
FACT CHECKING
Tempo verified the video using a reverse image search application, interviewed economic experts, and compared it with credible websites.
Rossanto Dwi Handoyo, an economist at Airlangga University in Surabaya, said that Malaysia's economy is currently more oriented towards industry and services, resulting in a decline in the agricultural sector.
However, any shortage of rice supply from domestic farmers can be met by importing from other countries. According to him, there is no rice shortage in Malaysia. “Malaysia has been importing rice from Thailand and Vietnam without significant obstacles,” Rossanto said when contacted by Tempo on Friday, November 21, 2025.
Rossanto said Vietnam and Thailand have long dominated the world's rice supply due to their agricultural surplus. As for rice imports, as practiced by Malaysia, this is common in international trade.
“With trade becoming increasingly open today, global food supply and demand can be met with considerable flexibility. It depends on the financial capabilities of each country,” said Rossanto.
According to a report by the Global Trade Algorithmic Intelligence Center (GTAIC), Malaysia imported 1,695.3 tons of rice in 2024. This import volume increased by 20.39 percent compared to the previous year.
Malaysia's imports came from Vietnam (39.4 percent), Pakistan (21.3 percent), India (20.7 percent), Thailand (12.8 percent), and Cambodia (5 percent).
Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas), the holder of the white rice import concession in Malaysia, has twice lowered the price of imported white rice. In December 2024, the price was reduced from RM 3,000 to RM 2,800 per metric ton. Then in May 2025, the price fell again to RM 2,600, according to Free Malaysia Today.
In April 2025, Malaysia sought opportunities to import rice from Indonesia. Deputy Minister of Agriculture Sudaryono said that after receiving the green light from President Prabowo Subianto, the Ministry of Agriculture held talks with various companies and the Malaysian government. Malaysian businesses requested around 2,000 tons of rice per month, although the volume would be adjusted according to Indonesia's supply capacity.
With its heavy dependence on other countries, the Malaysian government is targeting a reduction in rice imports by 2027. Local production is expected to grow by 3 percent per year to reach 1.5 million tons, according to The Star.
Video Verification
1st Clip
Not all of the videos are related to the rice issue in Malaysia. At the 50-second mark, the video shows Anwar Ibrahim visiting Bangladesh. The footage is identical to that broadcast by the Malaysian news agency, Bernama TV.
Anwar's meeting with Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus took place in early October 2024. The two discussed efforts to strengthen relations between the two countries.
According to Benarnews, after the meeting, Anwar Ibrahim announced his commitment to accept 18,000 workers from Bangladesh and prevent modern slavery against them. He did not mention the rice supply issue.
2nd Clip
At 01:05, the video shows a debate among Malaysian parliamentarians in a meeting chaired by Deputy Speaker of the Malaysian House of Representatives Alice Lau Kiong Yieng in October 2023, as reported by Kosmos.com.my.
The meeting's agenda was originally to discuss the availability of rice in the country. However, the meeting turned into a heated exchange unrelated to the issue of rice. The debate began when Khoo Poay Tiong, a politician from the Melaka City constituency, sarcastically referred to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the former Prime Minister of Malaysia who is now a member of parliament. Khoo Poay Tiong sarcastically referred to Muhyiddin's child or in-law who fled abroad.
The sarcasm was considered off-topic for the meeting and developed into a debate involving the opposition group that supports Muhyiddin. Several harsh insults were exchanged until the debate ended with Poay Tiong being removed from the meeting room.
CONCLUSION
Tempo's verification concludes that the narrative claiming Malaysia has no rice supply is misleading.
Malaysia's domestic agriculture cannot fully supply rice, but they meet their rice needs through imports.
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