By Simon Khoo
Monday May 12, 2008
KUANTAN: Malaysian Agrifood Corporation Bhd (MAFC), Khazanah Nasional Bhd’s wholly-owned food supply chain subsidiary, will build two more integrated food production and consolidation centres in Pahang.
To be located at Bertam Valley in the Cameron Highlands and Lanchang, the centres are among the 19 consolidation, processing and packaging centres and consolidation marketing centres planned under the East Coast Economic Region (ECER).
They will join MAFC’s existing facility in Bukit Raja in the Cameron Highlands.
Fresh: Malaysian Agrifood Corporation Berhad's papaya crop at its Lanchang food supply centre.
The three food centres will collect, consolidate, process, sort, grade, package and distribute food produce for better safety, quality and sustainability.
MAFC chief executive officer Azizi Meor Ngah said with the establishment of the centres, it aimed to transform the nation’s food supply chain management and distribution to ensure that the industry is well positioned to succeed in key markets.
“The food supply hubs will provide us with an efficient platform to manage our business as well as ensure reliable and timely delivery of fresh produce to customers,” he said.
“The value-added centres will operate in compliance with food safety standards such as Malaysia Farm Accreditation Scheme, the Hazards Analysis Critical Control Point and Global GAP,” he added.
Azizi said the main focus now was to revitalise the agri-food sector through an integrated value-added programme that would give priority to maintaining a sustainable balance between commercial agriculture and social objectives.
“Our business strategy is to build an efficient fresh produce supply chain pipeline so that our consumers get to enjoy safe and quality food for healthier lives,” he explained.
“By working in collaboration with government agencies and industry players to develop a comprehensive supply chain management system, we seek to guarantee year round supply, fixed season prices, unbroken cold chain integrity, timely deliveries, fair trade terms and promotional input, as well as meet quality specifications.”
Currently, MAFC is focused on crops in demand, such as capsicum and tomatoes, lettuce, cabbages and other leafy vegetables, chillies as well as such fruits as papaya, pineapple, melons and star fruit.
Malaysia exports more than 70,000 tonnes of vegetables worth some RM190mil annually, the bulk coming from the country’s green bowls of Johor and Cameron Highlands.
Statistics in 2005 showed the agriculture sector accounted for about 16% of the ECER’s gross domestic product and 22.9% of employment. -- The Star News.
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