JOHOR BARU: Johor hopes to produce over three million litres of fresh milk through the Jemaluang Dairy Valley (JDV) project next year.
State agriculture, agro-based industry and rural development committee chairman Datuk Zahari Sarip said the target was based on the more than 1,000 dairy cows JDV had brought in from Australia.
“Most of the cows we received are pregnant, and we expect to have another 1,000 calves within the next three to six months.
“This will allow us to produce over three million litres of milk next year, and we expect the figure to increase to between four and five million litres the following year.
“In the next five years, production is expected to reach about 12 million litres annually. This will not only meet local demand but also increase the country’s overall milk output by about 20%,” he told reporters after inspecting the arrival of the cows at Johor Port in Pasir Gudang on Saturday (Nov 1).
Zahari said each cow can produce about 35 litres of milk per milking session, and they can be milked two to three times a day.
“We expect the cows to start producing milk by January or at the latest by March next year.
“More cows may be imported from Australia next year, but it depends on our needs and whether we can reach our target,” he said.
JDV is a strategic collaboration between the Johor government and the East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC), managed by Jemaluang Dairy Valley Sdn Bhd.
