KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia can tap the expertise of the agriculture sector in China’s Heilongjiang Province, which has achieved scale, mechanisation, digitalisation and smart innovation.
Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM) president Datuk Ng Yih Pyng said Heilongjiang’s advanced agricultural machinery ensures efficient sowing, precision irrigation, remote-sensing field management and high-performance planting.
With these technologies, he added, more farmland is shifting from “farmers’ fields” to “experts’ fields”.
“For Malaysia, these experiences are highly valuable. Currently, our rice self-sufficiency rate is about 60%, with the remaining 40% dependent on imports.
“For staple rice, domestic production falls short of demand. Thus, Heilongjiang’s model of modern agriculture not only offers us opportunities for collaboration but also points the way forward for our own agricultural modernisation.
“Agricultural modernisation is not merely about technology upgrades – it is also key to attracting young people into agriculture. With artificial intelligence, big data, and the Internet of Things, agriculture can be efficient, predictable, and even creative,” Ng said at the China (Heilongjiang)–Malaysia Economic and Trade Exchange Conference today.
Heilongjiang is China’s largest grain producer, often referred to as the “Northern Granary”. Its annual cultivated grain area exceeds 14.7 million hectares, with total grain output surpassing 75 million tonnes for seven consecutive years and ranking first in China for 15 straight years.
“I believe that if we can collaborate with Heilongjiang’s agri-tech enterprises and research institutions and promote advanced planting, processing, and logistics technologies locally, we can inspire more young Malaysian entrepreneurs to venture into agriculture and transform it into a high-tech, promising industry,” Ng said.
ACCCIM, in early 2016, led a delegation to visit Heilongjiang and signed a cooperation agreement with the Heilongjiang Federation of Industry and Commerce, laying a foundation for bilateral economic, trade, and cultural exchanges.
Ng believes that this conference and face-to-face exchange and sharing will further expand areas of cooperation and elevate bilateral economic and trade ties between Malaysia and Heilongjiang to new heights.
Beyond agriculture and trade, he said, Malaysia and Heilongjiang also complement each other strongly in tourism.
Malaysia enjoys summer all year round, while Heilongjiang has long and cold winters. This contrast offers tourists from both sides fresh and unique travel experiences.
“With the implementation of mutual visa exemptions between Malaysia and China and the upcoming Visit Malaysia Year 2026, the bilateral tourism market is poised for a new round of growth.
“More importantly, Malaysia will be the Country of Honour at the 2026 Harbin International Economic and Trade Fair (Harbin Fair),” Ng said.
As one of China’s key platforms for international economic and trade cooperation, the Harbin Fair will allow Malaysian enterprises to directly access broader markets in Northeast China as well as Russia and Mongolia.
“I urge tourism players from both sides to deepen cooperation in seasonal travel packages, cultural exchange activities, and joint promotional programmes. This will not only drive tourist numbers but also plant seeds of understanding and friendship in our peoples’ hearts,” Ng said.
Heilongjiang, he added, has the advantage of agricultural technology to learn from, complementary food trade, and interconnected tourism markets.
“As long as we continue to promote direct business-to-business linkages, strengthen government-chamber coordination, and broaden diversified cooperation, the economic and trade ties between Malaysia and Heilongjiang will only grow stronger and wider,” Ng said.