September 28, 2015

 

 

by CHAN NGAI MENG and TERRY TAN

Livestock Asia 2015 was held September 21-23 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Malaysia, and hosted over 300 exhibitors from 32 countries, showcasing the latest technologies and supplies for feed and livestock production.

 

"The pressing industry topic that will be addressed at Livestock Asia 2015 will be that of the global readiness of the livestock industry in ASEAN as the race towards the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community is on," said Tan Sri Dato' Dr. Ahmad Mustaffa Babjee, chairman of the event organiser UBM Malaysia, in his opening address.

 

Accordingly, a dedicated ASEAN Product Registration Seminar was held on the second day of the event. The seminar saw representatives from the relevant ministries from Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines, give insights into regulations for livestock and livestock production registration in the respective ASEAN countries.

 

In his keynote speech following Dr. Babjee's opening address, YB. Dato' Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, the Malaysian minister of agriculture and agro-based industry, who was appointed to his current office a few months ago, highlighted the role of information and communications technology (ICT) in supporting the implementation of biophysical and yield-enhancing technologies to deal with productivity issues.

 

"One of our goals is to empower farmers, especially small farmers, with ICT assets and services that will increase productivity and incomes as well as protect their livelihood and the country's food security," Dato' Shabery said.

 

With the conclusion of his speech, ceremonies for the Asian Livestock Industry Awards and Malaysian Livestock Industry Awards followed, with the Holstein Milk Company's Muadzam Shah Cattle Research & Innovation Centre winning "Outstanding Dairy Farm" as well as FFM Group for "Outstanding Feed Miller", among other recipients.

 

At a press conference after a tour of the Livestock Asia exhibition ground, Dato' Shabery expressed optimism for the Malaysian feed-to-meat industry, given its good track record and equipment support. However, the sector's progress could benefit further from a strengthening ringgit, he said. 

 

Seminars on a variety of topics was the highlight of the second day of the event. Apart from the ASEAN Product Registration Seminar, the co-located Asia Meatec Conference covered topics such as World Perspective Towards Meat Industry, Trends in Southeast Asia's Poultry Meat Industry, and Adoption of Food Safety Measures and Halal Perspective. Professor Dr. Abdul Salam Babji from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Gordon Butland from G&S Agri Consultants Co. Ltd, and other prominent industry elites spoke at the conference.

 

Leading feed supplement manufacturer BIOMIN also organised a seminar on the current and emerging challenges in poultry production.

 

While some exhibitors FEED Business Worldwide spoke to commented that it would be good to see more exhibitors at the event, others were more than content that they were able to meet their target customers.

 Minister Dato' Shabery dropping by an exhibitor's product demonstration