Malaysian pork producers’ battle with African swine fever, combined with a tightening of pork supplies from Europe, opened opportunities for the U.S. pork industry to develop an important new market. With the approval of several U.S. plants, Malaysia quickly elevated to the second largest (behind the Philippines) destination for U.S. pork in the ASEAN region.

Last year pork exports to Malaysia reached 5,170 metric tons, up from less than 300 mt in 2022. Export value climbed from less than $1 million in 2022 to $16.3 million last year. This momentum has continued in 2024, with exports through the first three quarters of the year climbing 67% to 6,566 mt, valued at $20.6 million (up 62%). This included a record-large August, when shipments reached 1,108 mt.

USMEF

While more than 60% of Malaysians are Muslim, the rest of the population has a growing appetite for pork. A large share of these Malaysia residents are of Chinese descent, with pork as a key component of their diet. Even as European exports to Malaysia have rebounded to some degree this year, U.S. shipments continue to climb.

Sabrina Yin, who oversees marketing activities and market access efforts for the U.S. Meat Export Federation in the ASEAN region, noted that Malaysian importers are seeking a wider range of products than in the past.

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“At one time Malaysia was primarily a belly market, and that’s one of the reasons European pork established a strong presence there,” Yin said. “But there are also many local dishes that use ribs, and this is where our U.S. spareribs play a role. We are also seeing more opportunities in the processing sector for belly trim and the shoulder picnic.”

Aaron Hunerdosse, vice president of international sales for Seaboard Foods, echoed Yin’s observations about the rapidly expanding product mix.

“There is definitely a need for items to grind, like picnics and cushion meat,” Hunerdosse said. “But for the most part, Malaysian importers can take the full carcass mix – three-piece and four-piece carcasses, all the way down to skin-on, bone-in bellies, as well as spareribs.”

He added that importers have also modernized their infrastructure for handling and merchandising imported pork.

“We see a lot of Malaysian importers now that have a good understanding of the market and how to promote different products, and a lot of them own their own meat markets,” Hunerdosse said. “In the past, they didn't always have the best infrastructure and cold chain management, and there wasn't a whole lot of freezer capacity there. But the last couple of years we’ve seen increased investment in these areas, and this has also helped drive more interest in U.S. pork.”

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Yin noted that in addition to moving more shipments of frozen pork into Malaysia, the U.S. industry is also finding success with branded processed pork products.

“The popular U.S. brands are capturing a good share of the processed pork market and more Malaysian consumers are becoming familiar with them,” she said. “We also set up a social media platform that gives these U.S. brands more exposure and gets consumers excited about having them available in their local supermarkets.”  

Both Yin and Hunerdosse noted that from a regulatory standpoint, market access in Malaysia is still in need of improvement.  

“There are definitely challenges on some technical issues that need to be ironed out, and USMEF is working on this with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service in Kuala Lumpur,” Yin said. “When it comes to container clearance, importers often encounter labeling and documentation obstacles with the local government agencies, causing shipments to be delayed. This can be very discouraging for importers and for their U.S. suppliers.”  

“Malaysia requires each plant to individually register for approval, so it is a strenuous process to get plants eligible,” Hunerdosse said. “There are also some inconsistencies in their labeling requirements, whether it be expiration dates, slaughter dates or other details. But despite these obstacles, we see opportunities for continued growth in Malaysia and in other Southeast Asian markets.”

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