Dairy Australia sees strong demand for dairy products in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: The mushrooming number of international cafes, bakeries and western food stalls in the country in recent years shows the rapid growth in the local food industry and consequently stronger demand for dairy-based products in Malaysia, says Dairy Australia.

Peter Myers, international trade and development manager of the national services body for dairy farmers and the industry, said he expects the export value from Victoria state to the Malaysian market to grow 34 per cent in the 2014/2015 season over that of 2013 to 2014. Victoria’s exports of dairy-based products for the 2013 to 2014 season to Malaysia stood at 35,000 tonnes valued at AU$135 million.

“The higher projection for the season is also partly due to the Malaysia-Australia Free Trade Agreement (Mafta) and AseanAustralia-New Zealand FTA, which provide tariff-free status on liquid milk, thus improving market access for a range of products including dairy,” he told Bernama.

He also noted that better export performance for the 2014 to 2015 season would be in tandem with the higher production season in Australia, which is projected to increase between two to three per cent.

On a weekly basis, 66 containers are shipped to Malaysia from Melbourne, behind China (133 con- tainers), Japan (95 containers), and Singapore (73 containers).

Overall, Malaysia is among Australia’s top five markets by value for 2013 to 2014 at AU$217 million and fifth in terms of volume at 51,501 tonnes.

Myers also highlighted the fact that Australia’s products, the majority of which are halal-certified and made to cater to its Muslim population, have contributed to the positive acceptance especially in Malaysia. — Bernama