MANY NOT KEEN TO VENTURE LIVISTOCK BUSINESS

MANY MALAYSIAN ARE NOT keen to venture in livestock business. The dearth of livestock farming and cheap meat imports in the past six years have affected Malaysia’s self-sufficiency in livestock (SSL), as said by the Veterinary Services Department Director-General (DVS) Datuk Dr Quaza Nizamuddin recently in a newspaper. Quaza said buffalo meat from India was much cheaper than locally-slaughtered beef, while mutton from Australia was cheaper to buy than the cost of breeding the goats and sheep in Malaysia. As a signatory member to the World Trade Organisation, Malaysia cannot restrict or stop the importation of these meats as long as they fulfil the requirements and pass inspection. Australian goats are usually feral while the sheep are reared for its wool. Exporters need only to send them here for slaughtering. The cost of production is practically zero. He said the government was at a crossroads where SSL was concerned. On the one hand, it wanted to make available affordably-priced meats to consumers, and on the other hand, it wanted farmers to earn a reasonable income. The price consumers want to pay is lower than the acceptable margin. That’s why many people are not keen to venture into the livestock business. This blog "Anim Agriculture Technology'' discussed about he claim by DVS DG about not many Malaysian keen to venture in livestoch business in Malaysia.

Beef is a price-controlled item ian Malaysia and was tagged at between RM30 and RM35 per kilogram but he said the ideal price should be within the RM35 to RM38 range for farmers to make a decent profit. Livestock farming, especially cattle in Malaysia is cost-intensive as these ruminants need to be fed and cared for up to two or three years (2 - 3 years) until they reached the ideal weight to be slaughtered. It is a different story altogether where goats are concerned as they can be sold for slaughter as early as 8 months old. Chicken and duck eggs are the only commodities that saw an increase in production. He said the government was promoting a two-pronged approach to the cattle industry where bulls (male cows) are taken for meat production while heifers (female cows) were used for the dairy industry to produce milk. Fresh milk production was set at 36 million litres yearly, with the aim of adding another 20 million litres in the next five years. The increase in cow milk production would enable the country to be self-sufficient. He said goat’s milk was an attractive segment as there was a niche market for it as it had medicinal value. Citing an example, he said, a company in Kluang, Johor, was exporting goat’s milk to Singapore at RM5 for a 200ml bottle. He said the government would need to continue assisting and supporting entrepreneurs in the sector. Malaysia need to assist local players, providing them with assistance in funding by offering loans at a lower interest rate and also in terms of technology where we can encourage them to plant their own grass as an alternative source for feeds, reduce concentrates and many more. It may take a few years to generate returns. Patience is the key. It is vital to sustain their interest and efforts. This is an ongoing effort with challenges, but it will be worth it. With the population is at 32 million and this will reach 50 million by 2040 and the demand for food will rise in future in Malaysia. Thanks...

By,

M Anim,

Chuping, Perlis,

Malaysia.

(January 2021).