CATTLE REARING NEXT IN OIL PALM ESTATES

Cattle rearing next in oil palm estates

23 May 2012

ENTRY POINT PROJECT: Govt targets between 50,000 and 60,000 tonnes of beef in the next eight years

Twenty-five oil palm  companies will take part in a programme to rear cattle in their plantations.

In comparing the concept with a ranch, Veterinary Services Department director-general Datuk Dr Abd Aziz Jamaluddin said the companies would each keep 200 cows and 20 bulls.

• The programme was part of an Entry Point Project under the agricultural National Key Economic Area (NKEA) which is set to generate RM150 million in national income and create 3,600 jobs by 2020.
• The government aimed to produce between 50,000 and 60,000 tonnes of beef in the next eight years compared with less than 30,000 tonnes at present.

Dr Aziz said oil palm estates were chosen because of their huge acreage compared with other types of estates which were also "grassier".

"This programme is about cost saving and optimisation of resources.

"A lot of money is spent on grass cutting and about 40 per cent can be saved when you have living lawnmowers," he said, referring to the cattle.

Dr Aziz said this after signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the participating companies which included Felcra Bhd and Federal Land Development Authority (Felda).

He said in the 1980s and 1990s several estates had practised this method and succeeded in producing more than 20,000 heads of cattle.

Dr Aziz said there were plans to implement similar programmes for goats and dairy cattle in future.

A similar MoU will be signed with companies in Sabah and Sarawak soon.