Compiled by RAHIMY RAHIM, C.ARUNO and R.ARAVINTAN
PREMIUM wagyu cattle, often associated with luxury dining, is drawing strong interest for Hari Raya Aidiladha, with buyers in Kelantan willing to pay as much as RM40,000 for Qurban, Sinar Harian reported.
While local cattle and conventional imported breeds have long been the preferred choice for Qurban during Aidiladha, a new trend is gaining traction among affluent buyers willing to spend tens of thousands of ringgit on wagyu cattle for the annual religious sacrificial observance.
Despite this, wagyu represents only a small segment of Malaysia’s broader Qurban landscape, which requires more than 40,000 cattle nationwide during Aidiladha.
Kelfarm Sdn Bhd executive director Paizol Akman Awang said demand for wagyu remained limited compared with conventional Qurban cattle but interest is growing. He said buyers were mostly corporate groups and high-net-worth individuals with a keen interest in premium breeds.
Meanwhile in Raub, a livestock company in Bukit Kajang is focusing on wagyu breeding to tap future market demand.
AGK Dairy Fresh Sdn Bhd managing director Abdul Gaffar Khan Amirullah said the company plans to begin marketing its wagyu cattle in the coming years once its herd surpasses 1,000 head.
> Comedian Amir Raja Lawak says he is not ashamed of being in the scrap metal business to make living rather than resort to begging, Berita Harian reported.
Amir, whose full name is Mohammad Amirullah Azmi, said he has never been one to stay idle. He runs his own business selling Air Jagung Amirreka and fried chicken, which have provided a stable source of income over the past five years.
Amir said he has been accustomed to gathering items such as scrap metal, cardboard boxes and other discarded goods before selling them. He is disappointed to see some people relying on handouts instead of finding ways to earn a living.
(The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.)
