Kuala terengganu: A total of 73,051 agricultural holdings were recorded in Terengganu for the 2023 reference year, said State Agriculture, Agro-Based Industry, Food Security and Commodities Committee chairman Datuk Dr Azman Ibrahim. He stated that 99.1 per cent or 72,367 of these holdings were individual holdings, while the remaining 0.9 per cent or 684 were under organisations.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Dr Azman highlighted that 58,435 of the holdings were in the crop sub-sector, followed by livestock (12,018), capture fisheries (3,013), aquaculture (988), and logging and forestry (195). The 2024 Agriculture Census by the Department of Statistics Malaysia identified Terengganu as the largest contributor to the livestock sub-sector, accounting for 25.7 per cent of the total 46,781 agricultural holdings nationwide.

A total of 227,000 hectares of cultivated area under the sub-sectors has been recorded in Terengganu, with the harvested area standing at 195,300 hectares. Oil palm topped the list of cultivated and harvested areas, followed by rubber and padi, as revealed during the launch of the 2024 Terengganu State Agriculture Census Interim Report. Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin, who also serves as the Agriculture Census commissioner, attended the event.

An agricultural holding is defined as an individual or organisation managing agricultural activities, regardless of land size, ownership status, or location. Dr Azman noted that the crop sub-sector in Terengganu yielded 3.6 million tonnes in total output for 2023, with a sales value of RM4.03 billion. The livestock sub-sector followed with a sales value of RM403.72 million, fisheries at RM438.89 million, aquaculture at RM251.54 million, and forestry and logging at RM256.87 million.

The agricultural sector in Terengganu reported a total revenue of RM5.39 billion, marking a significant contribution to the state’s economy. Dr Azman emphasized that the data collected from the agriculture census would be crucial for formulating policies, development strategies, and research, especially in bolstering the food security agenda, resource sustainability, and the competitiveness of the state’s agricultural sector.