Kesedar targets beef livestock of 1,300 heads of cattle a year by 2025

GUA MUSANG - To address food security, the South Kelantan Development Authority (Kesedar) hopes to rear up to 1,300 heads of cattle for beef by 2025, said general manager Dr Shahrir Mohammad Zakey.

He said ceiling cost allocations amounting to RM27 million for the implementation of beef cattle farming in an area of 18 hectares have been worked out in the Sungai Asap Land Development Plan (RKT) with a feedlot of 400 cows per year, while in RKT Chalil, an area of 116 hectares, there will be integrated breeding of 120 cows per year

"Through this project, the production of 100 metric tons per year of halal meat carcasses with a gross revenue of RM4.3 million per year was successfully produced.

"Therefore, by 2025, Kesedar expects the production of up to 1,300 heads, which is 300 metric tons of halal meat carcasses, with a gross revenue of RM10.7 million per year to be achieved,” he told Bernama, here today.

Elaborating, Shahrir said Kesedar is always committed to supporting the government’s policy for which the agricultural development study is being worked on and is expected to be completed in the middle of this year.

"We are also discussing the potential of strategic collaboration with industry players such as Nestle Malaysia to develop Robusta coffee plants in an area of 60 hectares under the ‘NESCAFÉ Grown Respectfully’ programme.

"In addition, new agriculture produce will be cultivated at RKT Paloh 4, Gua Musang in an area of 1,000 hectares with crops such as coconut, musang king durian, MD2 pineapple, napier and oil palm crops, in addition to dairy cattle and caged fish,” he said.

He said through the Additional Economic Programme (AET), a sum of RM350,000 was allocated to provide equipment and agricultural inputs to entrepreneurs and vegetable growers for the short term in the Kesedar operational area, which could benefit 35 household heads with low income and the B40 group.

"Kesedar is implementing the effort in various ways to develop entrepreneurship such as providing equipment and machines according to selected clusters, courses and training as requested by participant farmers, rolling out sales carnivals and so on,” he said. - BERNAMA