By Zareef Muzammil
SHAH ALAM, June 13 — The Selangor Agricultural Development Corporation (PKPS) has started its own grain corn production to reduce the state’s dependency on livestock feed imports.
Its group chief executive officer Dr Mohamad Khairil Mohamad Razi said the project on 700 acres of land in Sungai Kelambu, Kuala Langat under the state’s Food Security Initiative Programme will be able to overcome the increase in the price of poultry and ruminant feed.
“This initiative began when we discovered that one of the biggest components in determining the price of chicken is the feed itself. Previously we imported 100 per cent of it from foreign countries.
“For example, in Brazil, the price of grain corn for chicken feeds that we imported previously was RM1,200 per tonne but now it has doubled to RM3,200 per tonne,” he said.
He said this in Niaga Awani live business talk show titled Sekuriti Makanan: Siap Siaga Hadapi Krisis Buruk (Food Security: Preparedness for Bad Crisis) at the Pasar Borong Selangor, Seri Kembangan here today.
Mohamad Khairil added that a similar project in Kedah on 400 acres of land has just started, bringing the total number of land used for grain corn production to 1,100 acres.
“The grain corn production from the two projects can provide feed for two million chickens. Hopefully, this initiative can help us to create our own chicken and ruminant feed,” he said.
On May 18, the Selangor government, through the PKPS, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Menteri Besar Negeri Sembilan (Incorporated) or MBINS on a grain corn planting project.
The project in Kuala Langat Selatan, Kuala Langat and Gemas, Negeri Sembilan, has the potential to reduce livestock feed imports.
