Hajiji patting the head of a dairy cattle during his visit to KILC that is now run by Desa Keningau Livestock Industries.
KENINGAU: Sabah’s dairy cattle industry is expected to grow exponentially with the Keningau Integrated Livestock Centre (KILC) running in full gear under newly established Desa Keningau Livestock Industries Sdn Bhd (DKLI).
DKLI was set up after Desa Cattle (Sabah) Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned state company, took over KILC from the Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (SEDIA) on July 1.
“Now that Desa has taken over the project, we expect the state’s dairy cattle industry to grow,” said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor.
“This will complement Desa’s existing dairy cattle project in Kundasang which has been doing well,” he said after visiting the centre in Sook near here on Tuesday.
Desa will now be the anchor player for the development of dairy and beef cattle industries in Sabah.
The earlier total capital investment required for the development was estimated at RM118 million and divided into two phases.
Phase one of the project under SEDIA costing RM57.3 million was completed on August 19, 2013 through Federal funding.
In this new venture, DKLI will undergo expansion works costing RM87.83 million to boost its capacity to hold 2,000 heads of adult dairy and beef cattle.
With 2,000 heads of adult cattle, DKLI has an ultimate yearly milk production target of 8.5 million litres, and 1,000 heads of beef cattle, which is equivalent to 500 metric tonnes of beef per year.