Malaysia can hit 50% beef self-sufficiency target by 2030, says Mat Sabu
Published on: Tuesday, May 14, 2024
By: Bernama
In March, agriculture and food security minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu was reported as saying the government would expand cattle farming through the redevelopment of mega cattle farms. (Bernama pic)
SERDANG: The government is confident of achieving its 50% self-sufficiency level (SSL) target for beef by 2030, said agriculture and food security minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu.
Mohamad, better known as Mat Sabu, said it could be achieved through the expansion of various innovations being explored by the veterinary services department, as well as the industry’s openness to apply new technologies such as artificial intelligence in the livestock sector.
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He told reporters this after officiating Veterinary Development Convention and Innovation Day 2024 here today.
On March 8, Mohamad was reported to have said the government aimed to expand cattle farming on a feedlot basis through the redevelopment of mega cattle farms to meet local meat supply needs and put the country on track towards achieving its 50% SSL target for the beef sector by 2030.
Meanwhile, veterinary services director-general Dr Akma Ngah Hamid said the SSL level of fresh milk was currently at 62% and on track towards the target of 100% by 2030.
“We are running many programmes under the 12th Malaysia Plan (to hit this target). The dairy industry has a lot of potential and we are on track, provided there is no epidemic,” she said.
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Akma said the country has five dairy valleys under the National Dairy Industry Development Programme which are expected to be able to meet demand for local fresh milk by 2025.
“The government is not alone in working towards this target. Large companies in the milk industry, including Fraser & Neave Holdings Bhd (F&N) which opened a livestock farm in Gemas, Negeri Sembilan, are cooperating too,” she said.
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On June 15 last year, the media reported that F&N had invested RM1 billion to develop a 2,726ha dairy farm to hold approximately 20,000 dairy cows in Gemas.
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