Malaysia's agricultural sector exports rose by 2.6 per cent to RM87.8 billion in the first six months of this year compared with the corresponding period last year, Bernama News Agency reported.

Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister, Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong, said the increase was a good achievement despite the current poor world economic climate. "The higher prices of agricultural exports, such as coconuts, were one of the reasons for the increase," he told reporters after officiating the Malaysian International Agriculture Technology Exhibition 2016 at Melaka International Trade Centre in Ayer Keroh here . 

Mah said the country's agricultural sector exports last year was valued at RM184.4 billion while the commodity product exports constituted 64.5 per cent of the sector.

Mah said the agricultural sector was an important pillar of the national economy with a significant contribution of 8.9 per cent to the gross domestic product in 2015. 

Source : QNA