Malaysia importing beef to keep the price stable

To ensure that local market demand for meat is met, Malaysia started importing buffalo meat from India, as local beef production is insufficient to meet domestic demand. It is expected that the cost of beef would increase if Malaysia stopped importing. For example, as in Indonesia, consumers pay around RM 56 per kg of beef because the country has stopped importing buffalo meat. Currently, beef is sold domestically at retail for about RM 25 per kg, and if imports and prices are higher, as in Indonesia when Malaysia stops importing, the supply will be lower. At present Malaysia can only supply less than 40% of the meat, including the demand for beef, domestically.