A TOTAL of RM3.27bil worth of deals were signed with strategic partners from China during the Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agro-Tourism Exhibition (Maha), says Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu.
The Agriculture and Food Security Minister said the deals were among 97 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth RM10.35bil inked during the exhibition.
He said the MoUs were expected to boost production and processing capacity, facilitate technology transfer and strengthen the agrofood industry’s value chain.
Among the deals was a RM1.5bil integrated fertiliser industry project involving the National Farmers’ Organisation (Nafas), China’s Guizhou Phosphate Chemical Group Co Ltd and Jiangsu Chemical Design Institute Co Ltd.
The agreements also included plans to develop an integrated tuna industry and seafood processing ecosystem in Labuan, he said.
In the pineapple sector, the Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board signed a RM1bil MoU with Agrionyx Group Sdn Bhd to develop a processing facility using Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) technology.
The technology is expected to enable the production of higher- value pineapple products and expand access to domestic and international markets, he added.
Another deal, worth RM100mil, involving Nafas Agri Services Sdn Bhd, Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah and Pretech Global Sdn Bhd, will focus on developing prebiotic-enriched fertiliser specifically for pineapple cultivation.
Mohamad said the two pineapple-related initiatives could strengthen the industry’s value chain, from agricultural inputs to processing and marketing.
The MoUs also included arrangements for the supply and distribution of premium Malaysian whole fresh durians to China, potentially strengthening distribution channels and the overseas branding of premium Malaysian fruit.
Mohamad was responding to Tan Kar Hing (PH-Gopeng), who asked about Maha’s achievements, the added value of the agreements and the follow-up investments expected.
He said his ministry would work with relevant agencies and industry players to facilitate investments, coordinate stakeholders and monitor projects through implementation.
Follow-up efforts would be crucial to ensuring the announced commitments translate into actual projects that strengthen the competitiveness and growth of the agrofood sector, he added.
