24/12/2025

BIZ & FINANCE WEDNESDAY | DEC 24, 2025

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Agriculture generated RM186.4b income in 2023

PETALING JAYA: Verdant Solar Hold ings Bhd, a residential solar engineering, procurement, construction and com missioning contractor, has welcomed the Solar Accelerated Transition Action (Solar Atap) programme introduced by the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation. It said removing quota limits and offsetting excess solar generation at the standard energy charge rather than the system marginal price makes rooftop solar savings more predictable and financially attractive for homeowners. Managing director Zeth Lim said,“The introduction of Solar Atap is a positive step that provides much-needed clarity and long-term stability for the residential solar market. By removing quota con straints and allowing homeowners to optimise system sizes based on actual demand, the programme makes rooftop solar more accessible and economically viable. This will accelerate household adoption while supporting Malaysia’s broader energy transition goals.” He added that the initiative will benefit Verdant Solar directly as it expands opportunities for residential solar deployment, and they look forward to working closely with the government to help achieve Malaysia’s renewable energy ambitions. Verdant Solar lauds introduction of Solar Atap scheme KUALA LUMPUR: The Leading Index (LI) increased 3.6% to 116.2 points in October 2025, from 112.2 in October 2024, signalling optimistic economic momentum ahead of 2026, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM). Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the positive performance was underpinned by strong double-digit growth in three components of the LI, namely the number of housing units approved, which grew 51.2% , real imports of other basic precious and other non ferrous metals (39.2%) and real imports of semiconductors (32.4%). “Concurrently, the monthly performance of the LI rebounded to 2.6% in October 2025 after registering declines for two consecutive months, supported by the improved per formance of the real imports of other basic precious and other non-ferrous metals, which grew 1.8%. “This positive development reflects stronger economic momentum towards 2026,” he said in a statement yesterday titled Malaysian Economic Indicators: Leading, Coincident & Lagging Indices October 2025. The LI provides an early indication of turning points in the business cycle and the near-term direction of the economy. Meanwhile, DoSM said, that, in line with the notable improvement in the LI’s performance, the smoothed long term trend of the LI surpassed 100 points in October 2025. “Based on this scenario, the economic outlook is expected to be more optimistic in the future, supported by encouraging economic activities, particularly in imports of intermediate goods, alongside pro mising performance across key economic sectors, namely the ser vices and manufacturing sectors,” the

Meanwhile, the sales value of captured fisheries products was recorded at RM10.9 billion. The census further showed that the aquaculture subsector generated sales value amounting to RM4.6 billion in 2023 and logging activities recorded sales value of RM3.8 billion. Total income for the agricultural sector in 2023 amounted to RM186.43 billion, with the crops subsector being the largest contributor at RM132.06 billion (70.8%). The livestock subsector was the second-largest contributor with RM33.12 billion (17.8%), followed by capture fisheries at RM11.08 billion (5.9%). Forestry and logging RM5.42 billion (2.9%) and aquaculture posted income of RM4.74 billion (2.5%). The three states recording the highest total income were Johor with RM30.15 billion, Sarawak RM29.18 billion and Sabah RM28.22 billion. Establishment agricultural hold ings contributed RM136.05 billion, which represented 73% of total agricultural income, while individual agricultural holdings accounted for RM50.38 billion (27%). Within the crops subsector, establishment holdings generated RM93.74 billion, representing 71% of total crop income, compared with RM38.32 billion (29%) PETALING Integrated industrial space solutions provider AME Elite Consortium Bhd, via wholly owned subsidiaries Pen tagon Land Sdn Bhd and Greenhill SILC Sdn Bhd, entered into five sale and purchase agreements with Mtrustee Bhd, the trustee of CapitaLand Malaysia Trust (CLMT), for the sale of industrial properties in the Johor-Singapore Special Eco nomic Zone (JS-SEZ) for a total cash consideration of RM220.8 million. The deal involves CLMT acquiring five industrial properties within AME Elite’s 170-acre i-TechValley in Iskandar Puteri, Johor. The assets consist of five single-storey de tached factories with two-storey offices occupying about 17 acres of land, with a total built-up area of around 524,077 square feet. AME Elite will deliver the industrial properties in a move-in ready condition in stages between 2027 and 2028. i-TechValley is a holistically man aged industrial park that combines world-class infrastructure with a sustainable, green working envi ronment. Strategically located 20 minutes from the Singapore-Malaysia Second Link (Tuas Checkpoint), it offers seamless connectivity to major highways and ports. The park is a premier destination for global com JAYA:

from individual holdings. Income within the crops sub sector was predominantly driven by oil palm cultivation, which recorded RM92.68 billion. The livestock subsector’s income was largely driven by establishment holdings, which generated RM31.28 billion, accounting for 94.4% of total income, while individual holdings contributed RM1.84 billion (5.6%). In the captured fisheries subsector, income was predominantly contri buted by individual holdings, amounting to RM9.29 billion or 83.8%, compared with RM1.8 billion (16.2%) from establishment holdings. Conversely, aquaculture income was mainly generated by esta blishment holdings at RM3.86 billion (81.3%), with individual holdings accounting for RM0.88 billion (18.7%). Income in the forestry and logging subsector was mainly contributed by establishment holdings, totaling RM5.38 billion or 99.1% of the subsector’s income, while individual holdings contributed RM47.17 million (0.9%). Pahang, Sarawak and Sabah emerged as the top three contributors to income in the crops subsector, recording RM24.05 billion, RM23.58 billion and RM23.43 billion, res pectively. panies and a future-ready hub for high-value industrial operations within the JS-SEZ. AME Elite Consortium executive director and group CEO Dylan Tan Teck Eng said: “The execution of these SPAs with a major institutional player like CapitaLand Malaysia Trust highlights the strong market demand for our high-specification facilities and the institutional-grade nature of our industrial parks. “This RM220.8 million transaction is a significant milestone that enables us to surpass our sales target of RM400 million for the financial year ending March 31, 2026 ahead of schedule. Our strategic proximity to Singapore and the ongoing mo mentum of the JS-SEZ initiative continue to position AME Elite as the partner of choice for world-class industrial solutions.” AME Elite’s ongoing develop ments include i-Park @ Senai Airport City and i-TechValley in Johor, and Northern TechValley @ BKE in Penang. The group is also expanding its footprint in the central region through a joint venture with KLK Land to develop a 151.2-acre in dustrial park in Selangor. The sale is expected to contribute positively to AME Elite’s earnings in the financial year ending March 31, 2027 and onwards.

o Census shows individual holdings made up 97.9% of sector: Statistics Dept report

PETALING JAYA: A total of 1,034,182 agricultural holdings were recorded in 2023, of which 1,012,993 were individual agricultural holdings, accounting for 97.9% of all agri cultural holdings in Malaysia, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM) Agri cultural Census Report 2024. In contrast, 21,189 agricultural holdings were managed by esta blishments. The updated profile further indicates that 982,268 holdings were engaged in the crops subsector, with 965,268 of these being individual holdings. The census was conducted from July 7 to Oct 31, 2024, through extensive collaboration and strategic cooperation involving DoSM and 1,390 agencies related to agriculture at federal, state and district level

besides relevant key ministries and agencies. Chief Statistician Malaysia and Consensus Commissioner Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin disclosed that 43,816 individuals were involved in livestock activities, 8,407 in aquaculture, 48,267 in fisheries activities, and 7,930 in forestry and logging activities. The total planted area amounted to 7.5 million hectares. Oil palm was the dominant crop, covering 5.8 million hectares, followed by rubber at 0.7 million hectares, paddy at 0.5 million hectares, and other crops at 0.1 million hectares. Findings from the census recorded total sales value of RM116.7 billion for the crops subsector and RM26.9 billion for the livestock subsector.

October Leading Index up 3.6% year-on-year: DoSM

AME Elite sells industrial properties in Johor to CLMT for RM220.8 million

Leading Composite Index (2015=100) and Annual Change (%) LEADING INDEX RISES 3.6 PER CENT IN OCTOBER 2025: SIGNALLING OPTIMISTIC ECONOMIC MOMENTUM AHEAD OF 2026 MALAYSIAN ECONOMIC INDICATORS LEADING, COINCIDENT & LAGGING INDEXES OCTOBER 2025

3.6%

0.8%

-0.3%

-0.3%

Sep. 2025 113.3 points

July 2025 114.6 points

Aug. 2025 113.9 points

Sep. 2024 112.4 points

July 2024 114.9 points

Aug. 2024 114.3 points

Oct. 2025 116.2 points

Oct. 2024 112.2 points

SEPTEMBER 2025

JULY 2025

AUGUST 2025

OCTOBER 2025

Note: Economic direction forecast by Leading Composite Index in average of 4 to 6 months ahead

Leading Composite Index (Long Term Trend = 100) and Business Cycle (Grey Shaded Areas), January 1991 to October 2025

Leading Composite Index, Monthly Change (%)

Oct. 2.6%

Sep. -0.5%

Contribution of Each Component to the Percentage Change in the Leading Composite Index from the Previous Month

0.5% 0.3%

1.8% -0.6%

0.5% -0.8%

-0.1% -0.1%

-0.1% 0.002%

0.1% 0.3%

-0.1% 0.4%

Real Imports of Other Basic Precious & Other Non ferrous Metals

Bursa Malaysia Industrial Index

Number of Housing Units Approved

Number of New Companies Registered

Real Imports of Semi Conductors

Expected Sales Value, Manufacturing

Real Money Supply, M1

Note: October 2025 September 2025

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(EPF), reflecting stronger employee income flows and continuity in employment opportunities. “On a monthly basis, the CI also posted positive growth of 0.6%, primarily driven by increases in the real salaries and wages in manu facturing and real contributions to the EPF, which rose by 0.2% each,” it said. – Bernama

department said. According to DoSM, in assessing the current economic situation, the Coincident Index (CI) continued to record encouraging annual growth of 2.7% to 129.9 points, up from 126.5 points in the same period last year. Meanwhile, it noted a significant 15.3% increase in real contributions to the Employees Provident Fund