NFC TO HELP MAKE M’SIA A WORLD CLASS HALAL BEEF PRODUCER

Bernama.com – 6 December 2007

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 6 (Bernama) – National Feedlot Corporation Sdn Bhd (NFC) is set to take up a significant role in transforming the Malaysian cattle and beef industry into a world-class halal beef producer.

“We intend to play an instrumental role to lead, structure and transform the industry to meet 40 percent self-sufficiency by 2010,” said NFC chief executive officer Wan Shahinur Izran Mohamad Salleh at a signing ceremony for the RM250 million loan facility agreement between the company and the government.

He said the country was currently importing about 80 percent of the beef products.

The RM250 million facility will provide a platform for NFC to implement the first phase of its business strategy to focus on setting up operations at the 5,000-acre Feedlot in Gemas, Negeri Sembilan, with target production of 60,000 heads of cattle annually.

Operations are scheduled to begin in February next year.

For the second phase, the company will implement a contract and satellite farming model with the potential of producing 375,000 heads of cattle annually, Wan Shahinur Izran said.

According to him, the company’s mission is to lead the industry in a manner that fosters excellence and integrity, improve beef production, and actively promote the industry interest.

Thus, this will involve large scale commercial agriculture through various activities, he said.

The activities will include cattle feedlotting and fodder production through contract and satellite farming, slaugthering, processing, marketing, and other upstream and downstream activities.

On the contract farming model, Wan Shahinur Izran said “it plays an important part in NFC’s business strategy”.

“Through outsourcing of supply for cattle, we hope to be able to assist selected parties and encourage participation from retirees, unemployed graduates and small scale farmers,” he said.

“We will assist them in getting financing, provide start-up and follow-up training in production and business administration as well as supply feeder cattle, feed materials and veterinary services,” he added.

“Ultimately, we will buy back the cattle at an agreed price, creating a readily available demand for their livestock.”

The signing ceremony was attended by Finance Ministry’s Deputy Secretary General of Treasury Datuk Ibrahim Mahaludin Puteh and Deputy Secretary General of Loan Management, Financial Market and Actuary Division Dr Manaf Hussein, and NFC chairman Datuk Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail.

NFC is part of the high impact project for agriculture under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

Wan Shahinur Izran said the company would consider having similar Feedlot establishments in economic corridors such as the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER).

Besides livestock supplies, NFC is also involved in feed and fertiliser production. – BERNAMA