KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 — The Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry is committed to further develop the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) with responsibility, said its minister Salahuddin Ayub.

He said currently the centre has 72 satellite farms with 7,000 heads of cattle being reared.

"The ministry under NFC is also boosting permanent farms of ruminant products and cattle integration programme in oil palm estates that are mostly owed by several big companies with a total area of 1.4 million hectares.

"If we look back on NPC, we will not go anywhere but we hope, we must develop more responsibly. This is one of our short and long-term plans that we must work on,” he told the Dewan Rakyat sitting today.

He was replying to a supplementary question from Nurul Izzah Anwar (PH-Permatang Pauh) on the rationale to continue with the project.

Salahuddin said the ministry also intended to conduct more constructive discussions with corporate companies involved on their participation in the project.

"We are confident and believed that the government may give tax cuts, the target of achieving the 30 per cent meat supply will become a reality and not an illusion,” he said.

Earlier when replying to the original question from Dr Hasan Baharom (PH-Tampin), he assured that the supply of meat would be sufficient in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidiladha next month.

He said the government had been making preparation for the last three months and based on the statistics of the Department of Veterinary Malaysia, a total of 50,125 heads of cattle, including 12,158 imported ones would be supplied in conjunction with the coming Hari Raya Aidiladha celebration. — Bernama