Malaysia an important mart for Fonterra
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is an important market as well as regional hub for Font err a Brands( M) Sdn Bhd due to its strong economic fundamentals as well as bilateral ties with the regional countries.
Its managing director for Malaysia and Singapore, Jose Migual Porraz Lando, said the country’s strong leadership would help Fonterra boost its sales to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), Asia and the global markets.
“Thus, Malaysia plays a critical role for us not only to drive investments in the domestic market but also boost exports,” he told a media briefing recently.
Land os aid the strong infrastructure and logistics capability had allowed Fonterra to use Malaysia not only for domestic business but also as a hub to tap the regional countries.
“From the supply chain perspective, half of the volume of the milk that comes out from New Zealand, or about 10 billion litres, were stocked in Malaysia every year before reaching their final destinations such as Europe, Japan, China, Africa or others.
“A lot of the milk (produced in New Zealand) has also stayed in Malaysia, consumed by Malaysians and statistics have shown that over 50 per cent of the dairy products consumed here come from New Zealand,” he said.
Lando said Fonterra has been taking advantage of the strong bilateral agreements between Malaysia and the regional countries to export its dairy products to the Asean members..
As Fonterra has its own manufacturing plant here, Lando said, the local consumers had always got the chance to enjoy the company’s new value-added dairy products before it reached other markets.
Currently, he said, the company held leadership position in certain dairy segments, including full cream milk powder and cheese, among others. — Bernama