Government plans to develop maize farming for livestock feed

JOHOR BAHARU: The government plans to develop maize farming for livestock feed on about 400,000 hectares of land to meet the future needs of the country.

Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said the plan was crucial because livestock feed producers were forced to import most of the maize from other countries.

“We will discuss with the state governments to identify potential land to be developed for maize farming, considering there is a lot of uncultivated land in the country.

“In addition, agencies such as the Veterinary Services Department will identify the suitable economies of scale and long-term programmes,” he said after visiting a livestock feed mill, Charoen Pokhpand (CP), in Tanjung Langsat, here, yesterday.

He said the farming area could generate about three million tonnes of maize per year, currently needed by the country.

By planting maize, the government could reduce its dependence on imported livestock feed as well as to prepare for future challenges such as falling currency and rising commodity prices, said Ahmad Shabery.

To date, there are 50 feed mills in Malaysia with a production of 380 tonnes per month.

The minister said that between 70 and 80 per cent of raw materials like maize and soybeans were being imported.

“For livestock feed, the total import has grown significantly to RM7.5 billion in 2014 from RM5.1 billion in 2010. The amount rose between 10 and 15 per cent in 2015,” he said.

Currently, Malaysia imports livestock feed from three countries, namely the United States, Brazil and Argentina. — Bernama