MALAYSIA and Thailand have reached an agreement to resolve outstanding issues in the fisheries sector, particularly those involving market access, with the implementation of a related memorandum of understanding (MoU) to be expedited within a week.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the agreement was reached following commitments from ministers overseeing the sector in both countries to ensure the matter was addressed without further delay.
“We have resolved the outstanding issues related to fisheries. Both ministers have given their commitment. Initially, the memorandum was expected to take effect within one and a half months, but we (Malaysia and Thailand) agreed for it to be implemented within a week,” he said.
Anwar was speaking at a joint press conference with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who began a two-day official visit to Malaysia today.
Anutin said Thailand fully supported efforts to strengthen regional supply chains by leveraging the complementary strengths of both economies.
He said Malaysia and Thailand would focus on cooperation in key areas, including food security, energy security and the digital economy, particularly in the development of high-technology industries.
“In terms of food security, we welcome the meeting between the agriculture ministers of both countries to find solutions through mutual understanding.
“Earlier, we successfully finalised solutions to outstanding issues involving market access for fisheries and agricultural products,” he said.
Anutin said the resolution reflected the commitment of both countries to further strengthen economic cooperation and ensure smoother trade flows for agricultural and fisheries products.
Earlier, Anwar and Anutin witnessed the exchange of the MoU between Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu and Thailand’s Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit.
In a statement, the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry (KPKM) said the MoU provides a comprehensive framework for cooperation across several strategic areas, including crop production, livestock, fisheries, agricultural trade and marketing facilities, research and development (R&D), capacity building and biosecurity.
The framework is expected to strengthen communication and coordination mechanisms between authorities from both countries in a more structured, transparent and continuous manner.
The development comes after Malaysia tightened controls on seafood imports from Thailand on June 1, including requiring Certificates of Analysis (CoA) for imported barramundi and imposing temporary restrictions on five shrimp species.
The temporary restrictions involved Penaeus esculentus (brown tiger prawn), Fenneropenaeus merguiensis (banana prawn), Penaeus vannamei (whiteleg shrimp), Penaeus monodon (black tiger shrimp) and Penaeus stylirostris (blue shrimp). – July 9, 2026
