January 17, 2023

Terengganu, Malaysia, sets apart land for layer poultry production 

The state government of Terengganu, Malaysia, has identified 120 hectares of land in the Setiu district to be developed as a hub for layer poultry farming to tackle the state's egg supply shortage and avoid dependence on imported food sources.

State Agriculture, Food Industry, Plantation, Commodity and Rural Development Committee chairman Dr. Azman Ibrahim said discussions had been held with several local investors, adding that each of them had shown interest in the initiative.

"The state government welcomes investors to open layer farms in Setiu to meet the state's ever-increasing needs every year," Dr. Ibrahim said. "So far, we have held discussions with two or three companies, including from Melaka that own broiler farms in Terengganu."

He said the project will start middle of this year based on the same model or mechanism used in other agricultural projects in the state.

He commented that the state government would provide the location and basic amenities as well as other assistance to attract investors, adding that the project would create job opportunities and generate the local community's economy.

"We set a target to have our own source of eggs within one or two years from now," Dr. Ibrahim said. "We have done the same for broiler farms and so far, Terengganu has 138 broiler farms and can meet 65% of the state's needs."

Meanwhile, he noted the state government did not intend to import eggs from other countries, including Thailand, to meet market demand as they are more expensive and are of poor quality.

According to Dr. Ibrahim, starting in the middle of last month, the state Fama managed to bring in more than 340,000 eggs from other states to meet the needs of about three million people.

- Bernama