Liew said the CPTPP will protect the interest of local farmers as it was one of the few free trade agreements which recognised the issue of food security.

“It is clear that the CPTPP will not have a negative impact on the agriculture sector,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.

It will also not jeopardise subsidies meant for agriculture exports, he said.

“The claim that the CPTPP will not allow the government to implement bans on basic food exports such as chicken is not true,” he said, adding that it will also not result in the sudden eradication of import duties on agricultural products.

Liew said Malaysia heavily depended on food imports, with 50% of food imported, including mutton and beef.

“For 2020, the average import duty for agricultural products was 13.8% and it further declined to 7.9% in 2021,” he said.

At the same time, Malaysia has been given a longer staging period of 16 years to reduce and eradicate import duties, including those on agricultural products, he said.

“Additionally, Malaysia does not need to eradicate fully its import duties for chickens and eggs under the CPTPP, and we can still maintain the tariff rate quota system,” he said.