KULAI - Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Bhd (Angkasa) aims to create 100 cooperatives for the halal poultry industry in the country.
Its president Datuk Seri Dr Abdul Fattah Abdullah said henceforth, a minimum of 100 coops could be built each with a capacity of raising 50,000 chicken, thus contributing to the annual production of about 30 million birds.
He said the effort could increase the involvement of the cooperative movement in the field of agro-food and is in line with the government's intention to see the sector contribute RM100 billion to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2030.
"We have seven million cooperative members nationwide. In terms of marketing, we will provide at least 3,000 outlets under the JiMAT SHOP Angkasa store flagship and we have identified 6,000 mosques that can be outlets.
"For us, the question of where to sell is not an issue, so long as this effort can be implemented to fruition," he said at a press conference after witnessing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Angkasa, Koperasi Negeri Johor and Mars Global Sdn Bhd here today.
Also present were Johor Angkasa chairman Sazali Abd Hamid and Mars Global Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Mohd Norulhizam Mohd Ramli.
Abdul Fattah said the cooperative could be set up through collaboration with chicken suppliers such as Mars Global Sdn Bhd in Johor through contract farms.
He said however, support from the state must be forthcoming in starting up the farm.
"We have to negotiate with the state government to secure a plantation area (for example, to set up) four coops which will require seven to 10 acres of land. If it can be done, the cooperative can expedite this effort and get the farm up and running,” he said.
He said the government's allocation of RM500 million in agro-food fund offered to entrepreneurs would help the poultry farms to materialise.
"So I really hope the cooperatives can use this space and opportunity and request the government to channel this allocation to the cooperative movement, seeing the benefits that will impact the community and the national economy," he said. - BERNAMA