FONTERRA REOPENS IN MALAYSIA After a $7 million upgrade, Fonterra’s Malaysian milk powder manufacturing plant has reopened its doors, and will blend and pack around 30,000 tonnes of product a year…roughly one billion serves of dairy. Fonterra Brands Malaysia and Singapore managing director Jose Miguel Porraz Lando says the improved facility means Fonterra is better placed than ever to meet the growing demand for dairy – not just in Malaysia, but across 13 countries in Southeast Asia and the Middle East where the site exports its dairy products. “Demand for dairy nutrition is growing fast across the region, driven by the rising middle class and huge populations. The investment will go a long way to helping us meet this growing demand for dairy and cement our role as a leading regional dairy manufacturer 14 JUNE 2017 and exporter,” he says. Fonterra has a 40-year presence and history in Malaysia, and the reopening has been an opportune time to celebrate the two country’s 60-year bilaterial relations, Malaysia’s deputy minister of international trade and industry Yang Berhormat Datuk Haji Ahmad bin Haji Maslan says. “Over the past six years, Fonterra has invested close to $20 million in improvements across its two manufacturing sites – contributing significantly to Malaysia’s overall manufacturing infrastructure and capabilities,” he says. Fonterra has more than 700 staff across two manufacturing sites, a corporate office and a global shared services centre, and is behind well-loved dairy nutrition brands such as Anlene, Anmum (Materna, Lacta and Essential), Fernleaf and Anchor. MILESTONE MIRAKA AGREEMENT IN MALAYSIA New Zealand’s first Māori-owned dairy processor Miraka, the Turangi milk processor majority owned by several North Island Māori trusts, will export its first branded consumer product into Malaysia - followed by shipments to Singapore, the Philippines and China. Miraka and Malaysian distribution partner Storiiu have signed a memorandum of understanding in Kuala Lumpur during the ministerial visit to raise the profile of New Zealand’s food and beverage sector. Miraka uses geothermal steam from the Mokai geothermal field, owned by shareholder Tuaropaki Trust, to run its processing operations. It has manufactured products for its customers, including powders and UHT, but will now start shipping the Whai Ora smoothie blend. "This is an example of Māori leading with the principle of kaitiakitānga (guardianship of the land, its people and environment) and shows the positive response this approach is receiving in international markets," Māori Development Minister and Associate Minister for Economic Development Te Ururoa Flavell says. The agreement is evidence of Māori innovating and moving products and services up the value chain, forming long-term international partnerships, and building economic value for the future. “It also shows the power of whānau collaboration and commitment. Investing in relationships and playing a long game is fundamental to Māori core values and this is an important part of any export strategy. I congratulate Miraka on their progress and on the contribution it is making towards lifting incomes and providing aspirational role models for other Māori exporters.”
FT-Jun17
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