November 30, 2007

Higher feed output can save Malaysia by near US$300 million

Malaysia can save RM1 billion (US$296.60 million) in importing 800,000 tonnes of corn a year if livestock feed production can be increased domestically, Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui said today.

Towards this end, he said, the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) has set up the Energy and Protein Centre (EPC) and a plant to manufacture livestock feed.

The EPC creates quality livestock feed products such as MPOB-HIE - with high fat energy formulation for poultry breeding - and MPOB-Q-PKC - using palm kernel cake in aquaculture feed - and these contribute towards the development of both the oil palm and livestock industries, he noted.

He said local consumption of MPOB-HIE should be increased as local livestock feed production of five million tonnes can be increased to eight percent. Malaysia can reduce its dependence on RM1 billion worth of imported corn.

Chin noted that currently 200,000 tones of crude palm oil is being used a year to produce livestock feed and said measures to diversify the use of palm products to replace imported items such as soy and corn will save foreign exchange of almost RM2 million a year.

He was confident the EPC, which has research and development facilities as well as modern technology, will be fully utilised by the industry.