By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, May 14: Sarawak is poised to emerge as Southeast Asia’s main producer of buffalo milk-based mozzarella cheese once the processing plant at the Meragang Buffalo Breeding Station in Lawas is completed in August this year.
According to a TVS news report, Deputy Minister for Food Industry, Commodity, and Regional Development Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Ismail said the high-impact project involves the use of Murrah buffaloes from Australia, a breed renowned for producing high-quality milk.
“For the first phase, over 200 Murrah buffaloes have already been imported from Australia and are currently undergoing quarantine in Miri before being transported to Lawas at the end of this month,” he said during a working visit to the Meragang Buffalo Breeding Station in Merapok today.
He added that the second phase will involve the importation of more than 500 buffaloes of the same breed by the end of the year.
In total, nearly 1,000 buffaloes will be housed at the station to support continuous milk production.
Dr Abdul Rahman said the RM16 million plant is expected to become the region’s largest mozzarella cheese production hub, with export potential to European markets and beyond.
“Installation of processing equipment and machinery will begin this June, funded through a loan from Agro Bank,” he added. — DayakDaily
