ISLAMABAD: Malaysia and Pakistan have agreed to strengthen cooperation in rice trade and halal certification to facilitate agricultural exports, improve market access between the two countries and boost regional food security, Pakistan’s information ministry said on Sunday.

The understanding was reached during a series of high-level engagements between Pakistani and Malaysian officials in Kuala Lumpur, which focused on increasing bilateral trade and expanding cooperation in food security.

Bilateral trade between the two countries stands at about $1.4 billion a year, according to official data from both governments. In Oct. last year, both countries announced a new $200 million halal meat trade quota.

In one of the engagements, Pakistan’s National Food Security Secretary Amer Ali Ahmed, Commerce Secretary Jawad Paul and Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) representatives met with a top official of Malaysian state trading enterprise BERNAS.

“The discussions focused on enhancing Pakistani rice exports to Malaysia while ensuring strict compliance with BERNAS quality standards and requirements,” the Pakistani information ministry said in a statement.

“The engagement also reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong participation in the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) and underscored the commitment of both sides to expanding bilateral trade, strengthening market linkages and contributing to regional food security.”

Secretary Ahmed and other Pakistani officials held a meeting with Dato’ Dr. Sirajuddin bin Suhaimee, director-general of JAKIM agency that administers Islamic affairs in Malaysia, to review progress under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between JAKIM and the Pakistan Halal Authority (PHA), signed in October.

“Both sides emphasized the importance of sharing expertise, strengthening certification mechanisms and facilitating halal trade to contribute to deeper economic and agricultural ties between Pakistan and Malaysia,” the Pakistani information ministry said.

In their meeting with Malaysian Agriculture and Food Security Ministry chief Datuk Seri Isham bin Ishak, Pakistani officials also discussed expanding cooperation in the halal agri-food sector, including rice, meat, poultry, fisheries and aquaculture technologies, animal vaccines, biosecurity controls and halal gelatin supply, according to the statement.

Both sides agreed to establish a formal mechanism for strengthening institutional linkages and identifying opportunities to facilitate agricultural trade, technical cooperation and knowledge exchange, beginning with a joint virtual meeting in November this year.