Agriculture

There is potential to capture value from the development and commercialisation of products based on other herbs. ation of new other herbs. Local manufacturers will be supported to move up the value chain through the provision of fnancial assistance, R&D support and marketing efforts.

There is the possibility of acquiring a foreign distributor with large distribution networks in strategic markets such as the USA, EU or China will be studied and pursued. This is to assist in overseas market penetration of Malaysian herbal products.

Capturing increased value from ornamental fsh exports through establishing own branding and marketing channels as opposed to relying on other countries to export Malaysia's products. In addition, by intensifying R&D, introduce specifc pathogen-free fries to improve yield and quality.

There is a business opportunity to develop feed mills for aquaculture.

There is a business opportunity to develop aquaculture export centres.

The US and European organic and natural snacks market is growing at more than 20 percent per annum. The EPPs will increase domestic production of fruits by 500,000 metric tonnes. Fruit that is not sold as fresh fruit will be separated and sent to a processing plant nearby.

New technologies, such as instant pressure drop, will be used to produce high quality dried fruit snacks from papaya, starfruit and pineapple that preserve more of the nutrition, taste, texture and volume of the fruit. Certifcation from international bodies will be obtained to enable the product to claim that it is natural, while relevant product registration will be performed to support functional and nutritional claims in target markets. The aim is to sell the products at a premium of 30 to 100 percent.

Addition of 20,000 poultry per year within oil palm plantations to target the growing market for free range and organic chicken.

Malaysia imports many types of mushrooms including dried, canned and fresh forms as local mushroom cultivation is lacking. However, Malaysia has favourable agro-climatic conditions for industrial production of mushrooms and companies that are successfully cultivating mushrooms on a large scale basis. The Department of Agriculture will facilitate the establishment of mushroom-farming businesses by providing standard operating procedures based on successful models and coordinating with Agrobank to provide funding.

Jackfruit products such as ready-to-eat fresh jackfruit, juice and vacuum-fried chips are growing increasingly popular in markets such as China. These minimally processed products are much simpler to export than the whole fresh fruit, which typically would not be able to meet the phyto-sanitary requirements of export markets. Anchor companies amongst medium-sized SMEs will be identifed to establish minimal processing operations including a hygienic processing room of between 15°C and 20°C and basic operations such as chilled-water immersion, cutting and pre-treatment.

Attract foreign companies to collaborate in conducting research on Malaysian herbs to speed up the discovery of new bioactive compounds and accelerate product development. Upon successful fndings, the foreign companies will be given incentives to set up manufacturing facilities in Malaysia, enabling value capture of downstream activities.

Relocate from Singapore to Malaysia the processing facilities for fruit, vegetables and meat to be made into frozen food or convenience meals. Malaysia can offer the competitive advantages of low labour cost, proximity to Singapore market and abundance of materials.