MALAYSIA’ S strength in semiconductor manufacturing can become a crucial enabler for innovation in agriculture, particularly in addressing food security. Speaking at the ASEAN-GCC Economic Forum 2025, Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Liew Chin Tong urged Malaysia to expand its semiconductor applications beyond traditional sectors by linking them with agricultural innovation.
He believes this horizontal integration could position the country as a key player in global food resilience.
Liew explained:“ Saudi Arabia and the rest of the world are worried about food security, so we need to think about how to use technology in the food and agriculture sector and link it to who we serve.
“ Previously, we always think about serving just the United States market, but now we have to think about creating food through technology to help the world solve the food security problem.”
Liew noted that while Malaysia may not possess the world’ s most advanced technologies, its ecosystem offers opportunities to support emerging economies in agriculture
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and other industries.
“ We may not have the top technology, but if we can create some( technology), it may help countries like Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh and the African continent- thinking along those lines. Hence, Malaysia is in an exciting and unique position,” he said.
Liew also revealed that Malaysia is currently in active discussions with Brazil. This country has shown growing interest in Malaysia’ s semiconductor sector and the
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potential for bilateral collaboration.
“ Many of the foreign companies in Penang are now investing in India, so India wants to work with us because of our semiconductor capability and that we have the ecosystem.
“ We hope we can create a lot more technology through what we have and ultimately see ourselves as a trading and technology nation,” Liew added.
Reflecting on his session with leaders from Saudi Arabia, China,
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LINKING CHIPS WITH CROPS: Liew Chin Tong speaks during a highlevel ASEAN-GCC session, highlighting Malaysia’ s role in agri-tech and semiconductor integration
and Malaysia’ s private sector, Liew stressed the importance of adapting to a changing global landscape.
“ The world has changed, and we need a different mindset. And in this context, bringing together ASEAN, Gulf Cooperation Council( GCC) countries and China is a brilliant move.
“ What we hope is to see a lot more potential collaboration among these blocks, complementing each other’ s technology and development,” Liew concluded.
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