REMBAU, Sept 25 — Total investments in Negri Sembilan more than doubled to RM2.86 billion in 2018 from RM1.41 billion in 2017, said Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun.

He said of the total, foreign direct investment contributed RM1.6 billion last year compared with RM736 million in the previous year.

“This achievement resulted from a business-friendly policy and an investment ecosystem built on low-cost areas to start industries and businesses.

“These factors provided a competitive edge to Negri Sembilan and will be a catalyst in our efforts to realise our goal of becoming a developed state by 2045,” he said at the opening ceremony of the world’s largest Milo manufacturing centre of excellence in Chembong, here today.

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The event was officiated by Undang Luak Rembau Dato Lela Maharaja Datuk Muhammad Sharip Othman.

Present were Nestle (Malaysia) Bhd chief executive officer (CEO) Juan Aranols and Chris Johnson, executive vice-president of Nestle S.A. and CEO of Zone Asia, Oceania and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Aminuddin said high-impact investments such as that of Nestle (Malaysia) were essential to the state government’s vision in providing strong economic development through initiatives such as the Malaysia Vision Valley 2.0 (MVV 2.0) project.

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“The expansion of the Nestle plant in Chembong creates jobs for youths in the state and drive greater potential for local businesses across the value chain.

“This, in turn, supports the socio-economic development and better quality of life for the people in the state,” he said.

Based in the Swiss town of Vevey, Nestle is the world’s largest food and beverage company, with presence in 189 countries and employing 328,000 people.

The Nestle Chembong factory provides 845 jobs out of a total of 5,500 Nestle Malaysia employees. — Bernama