PM TO LAUNCH HALAL HUB IN EAST M'SIA STATE

KUCHING (Malaysia), Feb 16 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
is expected to make a one-day visit to East Malaysia state of Sarawak on
Wednesday to launch the Tanjung Manis halal hub in Mukah, which has been
earmarked as the southern growth node of the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable
Energy (Score).

He is scheduled to witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding
pertaining to the licence to occupy between the Sarawak Timber Industry
Development Corporation (STIDC) and investors.

According to an advisory from STIDC Sunday, Abdullah would be accompanied by
teh state's Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud during the launch of the halal
industrial park -- the country's largest halal hub with an area of 16,000
hectares.

As the first one-stop halal hub in East Malaysia for upstream and downstream
halal food and manufacturing activities, it is expected to serve the
aquaculture, poultry and animal feed mill, organic chicken and egg production,
eel farming industry as well as providing support to the rice bowl development
in neighboring areas.

Taib was previously quoted as saying that foreign investors had promised to
pour in RM1.4 billion (US$386.1 million) to help develop the halal hub, with
investors from Taiwan and the Middle East showing keen interest, especially due
to its fast-track approval for halal certification and endorsement.

Coupled with an existing deep sea fishing complex, Tanjung Manis is
targetted to be an industrial port city by 2030 through the initiative by the
STIDC, Regional Economic Development Authority and the State Planning Unit.
-- BERNAMA