Agriculture Sector Contributes 8.9 Pct To GDP In 2015

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 (Bernama) -- The agriculture sector contributed 8.9 per cent or RM94.1 billion to Malaysia's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2015, down from 9.2 per cent in 2014, the Department of Statistics (DoS) said. It said oil palm was a major contributor at 46.9 per cent, followed by other agricultural products (17.7 per cent), livestock (10.7 per cent), fishing (10.7 per cent), rubber (7.2 per cent), and forestry and logging (6.9 per cent). "For the crops sub-sector, padi production improved 16.6 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) to 473,000 tonnes in 2015, with the planted area expanded seven per cent to 730,000 hectares," it said in a statement Friday. The DoS said the production of kenaf (dried stem) surged 56.6 per cent y-o-y to 4,000 tonnes in 2015, while natural rubber increased eight per cent to 53,500 tonnes, and oil palm fresh fruit bunches edged up 2.4 per cent to 2.27 million tonnes. On the livestock sub-sector, it said the number of chicken rose 6.9 per cent y-o-y to 308.1 million last year, with the production of chicken/duck eggs jumped 6.5 per cent to 775,100 tonnes. "For the fisheries sub-sector, total marine fish landings increased 1.9 per cent y-o-y to 1.49 million tonnes in 2015, while the production of freshwater aquaculture added 5.1 per cent to 112,100 tonnes," it said. However, the DoS said brackishwater aquaculture production fell 4.7 per cent y-o-y to 394,300 tonnes in 2015. On the workforce, it said the agriculture sector employed 1.75 million workers in 2015, up 3.5 per cent from the previous year, while the number of non-citizens engaged increased 16.2 per cent to 646,400 people. -- BERNAMA