@AGROBiz July/August 2025 | Page 5

LOCAL NEWS
July-August. 2025 | @ AGROBiz

LOCAL NEWS

05

Johor’ s regional green leap

JOHOR has marked a new chapter in modern agriculture with the launch of Malaysia’ s largest high-tech vertical farming facility, a strategic project that complements the state’ s broader economic momentum and growing agricultural output.

The 50,000-square-foot facility, located in the Nusajaya Industrial Park within the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone( JS-SEZ), is a RM40 million joint venture between FarmByte Sdn Bhd- under Johor Corporation( JCorp)- and Singaporean agri-tech firm Archisen Pte Ltd.
“ This is a historic milestone for Johor, Malaysia, and Singapore. What began as a pioneering idea two years ago has now become a reality,” said Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.
“ This isn’ t just an agricultural project – it is a new ecosystem that strengthens regional food security.”
The facility utilises controlled environment agriculture( CEA) and smart systems to cultivate leafy vegetables, including ice plant salad, without the use of pesticides or reliance on climate dependency.
With a projected annual yield of
306,000 kilogrammes, the farm contributes to Malaysia’ s National Food Security Policy and supports Singapore’ s“ 30 by 30” goal to produce 30 per cent of its nutritional needs locally.
Johor’ s leadership in agri-tech comes as the state posted the highest Gross Domestic Product( GDP) growth in Malaysia for 2024, expanding by 6.4 per cent and surpassing the national average of 5.1 per cent, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia( DOSM).
While services, construction, and manufacturing played key roles, agriculture remained a core pillar, accounting for 17.3 per cent of Malaysia’ s agricultural GDP. The State’ s agricultural sector grew by 4.2 per cent, reversing a decline the year before, supported by increased palm oil output and food processing activity.
“ The development of digital infrastructure, in turn, supports the manufacturing sector,” DOSM
SMART FARMING BEGINS: Johor’ s RM40 million vertical farm is designed to support both local food security and export potential.
reported, noting the contribution of food-related processing industries and rural farming activities to the overall economy.
Onn Hafiz said the vertical farm has already drawn interest from agri-industry players across Malaysia and Singapore.“ They aim to scale up operations and establish a comprehensive farming network. We hope this will be realised soon, with strong support from all stakeholders,” he said.

Urban farms for Labuan

AS Labuan continues to depend heavily on imported food, Minister in the Prime Minister’ s Department( Federal Territories) Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa has urged authorities to adopt integrated and forward-thinking strategies to reduce the island’ s food vulnerability.
Speaking at the launch of the Interim Report for the 2024 Agriculture Census for the Federal Territories, Dr Zaliha stressed the urgency of alternative food production methods that suit the island’ s limited agricultural landscape.
She said the island’ s unique constraints- limited land and weak connectivity- make traditional agriculture unsustainable in the long term. As such, Labuan must shift toward innovative food systems to protect its food security.
Currently, only 0.22 per cent of Labuan’ s land is zoned for agriculture, leaving little room for expansion. Dr Zaliha said this makes it critical to explore high-efficiency methods, such as hydroponics, vertical farming, and other urban agricultural technologies.
She also expressed concern that over-reliance on imported goods could lead to increased price volatility and strain household budgets.
To address this, Labuan Corporation( LC) will work with the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Veterinary Services, and the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry to assess food selfsufficiency levels. The review will focus on key food items, including chicken, meat, eggs, and vegetables.
In outlining her broader vision, Dr Zaliha proposed turning Labuan into a testing ground for alternative food technologies and sustainable models inspired by urban food districts in European cities.
“ To realise this vision, we need a centre of excellence that collaborates with research institutions and universities, shifting from
CULTIVATING NEW IDEAS: Vegetables grown in compact urban systems offer fresh alternatives in space-constrained environments
conventional agriculture to food alternatives such as cultivated meat and lab-produced cellular fermentation,” she said.
She added that Labuan Corporation would begin mapping areas that could be adapted for food production, however small, to support these goals.
As Malaysia strives for more resilient food systems, Labuan could emerge as a model for urban farming and agri-tech experimentation, especially in areas with geographical or land-use limitations.- @ AGROBiz