Organics: A strong business for Malaysian farmer
Seng Yee Tai, executive director of Zenxin Agri-Organic Food in Malaysia said the company sought to produce simple foods. “Food complications are the cause of numerous food scandals today due to farming with chemical feed and pesticides.”
The food company offers more than 60 varieties of both highland and lowland vegetables and fruits, mostly purchased by the growing Malaysian middle classes.
Zenxin’s food products have also crossed the border to Singapore and Hong Kong. “The opportunity to export actually helps our farmers to get a better livelihood and at the same time consumers get better quality food,” remarked Tai.
The farms have been certified organic by The National Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Australia (NASAA) and Malaysian Organic Scheme (SOM, Skim Organik Malaysia).
Prosperous market
According to Business Insights, the global organic food and beverages market is expected to grow from US$57.2 billion in 2010 to US$104.5bn in 2015 at an estimated CAGR of 12.8%.
By 2015 it is expected that Asia Pacific will witness a significant growth in the organic food and beverages market due to increasing consumer awareness and greater variety inorganic produce such as dairy products, meat products, fruit and vegetables and health drinks.
Tai started organic farming 12 years ago when he made use of chicken waste derived from his chicken farm that was free from antibiotic jabs and animal feed for farming.
Today, as Tai recalled: “I became interested in organic farming and today we produce over 100 tonnes of fresh vegetables and fruits.”
