By Olivia Miwil - June 28, 2021 @ 3:31pm
KOTA KINABALU: The Keningau Integrated Livestock Centre (KILC) is aiming to be a premier breeder centre in the country.
To achieve the target, the centre is working to produce high-quality breeder dairy cattle with productivity beyond 7,000 litres of milk per annum or more than 23 litres per day.
KILC can house 2,000 heads of adult dairy cattle with an ultimate yearly milk production target of 10 million litres and 810 heads of feeder cattle, which is equivalent to 1,500 metric tonnes of beef per year.
"Since the commencement of operations in 2013, KILC has quintupled its yearly milk production, from 0.5 million litres in 2014 to 2.5 million litres in 2020.
"The average yield per cow has also been increased from 6.5 litres/day in 2014 to 17.3 litres/day in 2019, while the national average yield in Sabah is still around 12 litres/day," according to a statement issued by Sabah government.
Under Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (Sedia) the KILC has undergone an enhancement programme while a Supplementary Master Plan study has been carried out to improve its long-term sustainability and to fully address gaps and challenges currently faced by the dairy cattle industry in Sabah.
The Federal government has provided RM57.3 million funding for the Phase One development to build the infrastructure with 500 heads capacity, which was completed on Aug 19, 2013, via Sedia.
For Phase Two, which is the development and expansion of the infrastructure to hold 2,000 heads, it would require RM60.7 million that will be fully funded through private sector investment.
Today at the Sabah Administrative Centre here, Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor witnessed Sedia handing over KILC to Desa Cattle Sdn Bhd effective July 1.
Desa Cattle will also be the anchor investor for phase two of KILC expansion in spearheading the development of dairy and beef cattle industries in Sabah.
The KILC is a long-term strategic development programme designed to produce high-quality breed dairy cattle based on a three-tier system, namely the Nucleus, Multiplier and Commercial farms aimed at supporting Sabah's dairy and beef industry development sustainably.
As the first-of-its-kind nucleus farm in Malaysia, the approach ensures the continuous upgrade and improves breed performance through genetic upgrades via advanced reproductive technology.
In turn, these improved quality breeds will be multiplied at the Multiplier farms and be distributed to local farmers at the Commercial farms level, ensuring high milk production to increase revenue and income of dairy farmers.
At the same time, KILC also acts as a catalyst to attract private investments in setting up dairy cattle multiplier and breeder farms to increase the breeder population as well as the associated value-added downstream industries.
The centre, which has formed a collaboration with Universiti Malaysia Sabah, also hired three international experts for skill training, 40 staff members and three fresh graduates.
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