KULAI, May 4 — Johor will be developing a new industrial park, Jemaluang Dairy Valley, in Mersing for the production of fresh dairy products.
Menteri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad said state government-linked company, Johor Corporation (JCorp), has been tasked to identify strategic partners to invest in the project, which is expected to involve a minimum investment of RM100 million.
“The RM100 million minimum investment is based on infrastructure worth RM70 million (to be) developed by the federal government through the East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC) for the park.
“We expect site work for the 275.18-hectare project to start in the next one or two months,” he told reporters after officiating the United Kotak Bhd 2 groundbreaking ceremony at the SME Industrial Park, Bandar Indahpura here, today.
Hasni hoped the new investment would enable Johor to come up with its own fresh milk products that are comparable or better than existing products in the market such as Farm Fresh, which is a collaboration between Khazanah Nasional Bhd and Holstein Milk Company.
“Besides that, the investment will also produce 20 new satellite farms that will give a wider economic impact beyond Mersing to cover Kota Tinggi and Pasir Gudang as well,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hasni said there are signs showing that the Johor economy is recovering despite the state recording a lower investment of RM4.67 billion last year compared to RM11.45 billion in 2019.
He said the optimism is supported by several indicators, among others, the decision by a financial technology company to invest in Iskandar Malaysia and the interest of Forest City project developer to expand its digital infrastructure at existing project sites to enable the area to become a digital hub.
“These are signs that Johor will continue to be a strategic (destination) and state of choice by various investors.
“Therefore at the state level, we will continue to improve our services because we believe that consistent investment will not only bring benefits to the industry itself but also to Johor’s economy as a whole,” he added. — Bernama
