November 22, 2004
Malaysia to Introduce Incentives to Breed Cattle
In order to speed up the Government's aim for Malaysia to produce one million head of cattle annually, special incentives are being looked into to attract big companies to go into cattle breeding.
Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the incentives included grants, technical knowledge, land-related assistance and other attractions, which were necessary to start such projects.
The minister said it was necessary for the Government to provide certain incentives to attract big companies to venture into the cattle breeding and rearing industry in the country as they were high-risk ventures.
'We have to do it if we want to increase our meat production, especially beef and mutton, to meet the increasing demands for food, both in Malaysia and for export.
'At present many companies only import livestock from Australia, New Zealand or India for slaughtering, not for breeding and rearing.
'Such ventures only serve the local market's needs for beef and mutton,' he added.
Muhyiddin said the ministry, with the assistance from the Veterinary Department, would help to identify good breeding stock for the companies and provide technical advice and knowledge needed to maintain their farms.
He pointed out that since Malaysia had limited land, it could not adopt the Australian cattle breeding method, where cows and sheep had vast grazing areas.
'Malaysia will have to adopt the feedlot method,' he said.
He said the ministry would look into providing companies with loans from banks or financial institutions or even provide grants to help them launch their projects.