Author: malaysiang

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 5 — Works to repair the damaged embankments of Sungai Langat at Kampung Rancangan Tanah Baharu (RTB) Bukit Changgang and Kampung Labohan Dagang, Kuala Langat involves the use of steel sheetpile structures and soil to strengthen and stabilise them.

The Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) in a statement said besides that, the use of oil palm trunks as reported by the media was aimed at strengthening the route for heavy machinery at the construction area.

According to the statement, the oil palm trunks were also used as a temporary barrier to reduce river water overflow before embankment repair work was carried out.

“Currently, the Selangor State DID is focusing on the construction of a flood water outlet to Sungai Langat using a screw pump. This work is expected to be completed within three to five days, depending on weather conditions,” he said.

Residents, especially in areas where floods are expected, are urged to remain vigilant and attentive to the instructions of the authorities, while current information and warnings can be found on the website ‘publicinfobanjir.water.gov.my’, or via the Facebook page: ‘Jabatan Pengairan dan Saliran Malaysia – Dept. of Irrigation and Drainage’ and Twitter page: ‘@DID_Malaysia’.

The statement was issued in response to media reports regarding the incident of a damaged embankment in Kampung RTB Bukit Changgang which raised concern among residents in case another round of floods were to occur.

According to the media report, the residents took the initiative of placing oil palm trunks and stone blocks to prevent water from Sungai Langat to enter into the village area.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 5 — Starting tomorrow, Malaysians will be able to enjoy halal wagyu beef at the Hisashi Restaurant of Bangi Resort Hotel in Bandar Baru Bangi near here.

Hisashi was acquired on Nov 20, 2021, by AAH Nippon, a halal wagyu exporting company and thus, will be offering food items based on halal wagyu.

Its owner, Akmal Abu Hassan, said that wagyu sourced from Japan is certified halal and recognised by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) and the Muslim Professional Japan Association (MPJA).

“From the sourcing of cattle to the slaughterhouse, each step of the process is thoroughly monitored by MPJA. For example, during the stunning of a cattle, it must be made sure that the cattle’s skull is not broken.

“Even in the slaughterhouse, a civilian audit is performed every three months, during which they interview slaughtermen for any changes in operations. On top of that, a halal executive is stationed in the slaughterhouse to ensure that the slaughtering process is done in accordance with halal standards set by JAKIM and MPJA.

“As such, be rest assured that the wagyu we offer here in Hisashi are guaranteed halal and safe for everyone’s enjoyment,” he told Bernama in a recent interview.

Akmal said that Hisashi’s mission is to expose Malaysians to the proper way of enjoying wagyu, while experiencing true Japanese customer service standards.

“We have always seen non-halal wagyu being imported into Malaysia. As such, our mission at Hisashi is not only to bring authentically halal ones into the scene but also to teach the art of eating and serving wagyu to Malaysians.

“Our staff are trained to follow Japanese customer service standards by applying ‘omotenashi’, a hospitality concept from Japan,” he added,

Meanwhile, co-owner of Hisashi, Ajwad Abu Hassan said that Hisashi hopes to introduce a better way to enjoy beef.

“In Malaysia, we are used to having steaks as the usual variant of cooked meat. Malaysians can choose not to travel far east to enjoy real, authentic wagyu beef served Japanese style with Hisashi,” he said.

Hisashi offers lunch and dinner sets from RM80 and yakiniku (grilled) courses from RM250.

For more information, visit www.bangiresorthotel.com/dining/hisashi/ or contact their hotline at +60 19-653 7072.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

ALOR GAJAH, Jan 5 — The national agrofood sector suffered losses of around RM67.72 milion as 5,000 livestock breeders and farmers were affected by the recent floods that hit several states.

Deputy Agriculture and Food Industry Minister I Datuk Seri Ahmad Hamzah cited the example of the agrofood sector in Melaka, where over 275 livestock breeders and farmers suffered losses of around RM2.83 million.

He said losses are expected to rise as there are still areas that have not recovered fully from the floods.

“All agencies under the Agriculture and Food Industry Ministry (MAFI), including the Farmers Organization Authority (LPP), have visited flood-affected areas to survey and assess the damage or losses suffered by livestock breeders and farmers.

“The estimated losses are currently just randomly made and it is expected to rise after detailed assessments or calculations are made,” he told reporters after a programme organised by the Melaka LPP in Kampung Gadek here today.

MAFI secretary-general Datuk Haslina Abdul Hamid and LPP director-general Datuk Azulita Salim were also present for the programme.

Ahmad said the government, through the ministry, has prepared various aid and allocation to help those affected by the floods.

He said the aid included the Keluarga Agro Bangkit Semula Fund totalling RM100 million for agrofood sector operators affected by floods.

“We have also prepared allocation for agrofood project redevelopment totalling RM80 million in addition to the Rice Crop Disaster Fund million of RM 12 million for those affected.

“Besides that, the Agriculture Department, the Veterinary Services Department and the LPP have presented aid including food provisions, blankets and livestock food input under the MAFI Prihatin initiative,” he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 5 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today stressed that he would make sure that all the relevant agencies do their level best to smoothen the distribution of government aid following the recent massive floods.

He said all aid and assistance that have been announced must be distributed to the affected victims as soon as possible.

“I also remind all members of the Cabinet that everyone has a role to play in facing the health and economic crises as well as the disaster currently plaguing the nation.

“I strongly believe that with focus and dedication given by all quarters, we will be able to sail through these challenges steadily as a Malaysian Family,” he said in his latest posting on Facebook.

He said these challenges were among the issues discussed at this year’s first Cabinet meeting which he chaired this morning.

Ismail Sabri said among the issues given emphasis at the meeting were flood and post-flood management, as well as the suspension of umrah travel following the spread of COVID-19 Omicron variant cases.

Meanwhile, the prime minister also tweeted that 36,087 or 76 per cent of heads of households affected by floods had received the compassionate aid (BWI) of RM1,000 as of 1 pm today.

The distribution of the aid began on Dec 27, just 10 days after the unexpected massive floods that hit several states including Selangor, Pahang and Negeri Sembilan.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

SEREMBAN, Jan 5 — The Negeri Sembilan government has not decided on exempting account owners who were affected by floods in the state from paying their water bills, said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun.

He hoped consumers understand the burden shouldered by Syarikat Air Negeri Sembilan Sdn Bhd (SAINS) which has to absorb major losses when several water treatment plants (WTP) in the state were badly affected such as the Pantai WTP which could not be used anymore.

Aminuddin who is also SAINS chairman said the government has not made an evaluation on the actual amount of losses suffered by the company.

“Therefore, I hope all understand that SAINS was also badly affected in the disaster.

“The evaluation on the losses would take some time as many WTPs were affected including the infrastructure,” he told reporters after chairing the Exco meeting at Wisma Negeri here today.

In another development, Aminuddin said the three schools affected in the latest flood are Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina Tanah Merah Site A and Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Permatang Pasir in Port Dickson as well as Sekolah Menengah Agama Kuala Klawang in Jelebu.

He said all the schools would start operation as usual for the school session next week and the state government is awaiting full reports from the state Education Department on the damage suffered and repairs required.

Meanwhile, Aminuddin said there would be no parade held in conjunction with the 74th birthday celebration of the Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz Ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir on Jan 14 following the current situation in the country which is still facing the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Only the investiture ceremony would be held in full compliance with the stipulated standard operating procedure,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 5 — Efforts to reduce the people’s cost of living and give consumers a cheaper price option like what was implemented last year will be extended this year with several people-centric programmes, said the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP).

In a statement today, KPDNHEP said the programmes included sales campaigns such as Back To School as well as during festive seasons and national month celebration to give consumers a choice to make planned purchases.

The Keluarga Malaysia Maximum Price Control Scheme (SHMKM), which was launched on Dec 7, last year, to stabilise the prices of basic necessities will be extended to Feb 4, this year, whereas the Malaysian Family Sales Programme (PJKM) that began on Dec 2 will continue to be held until March, it said.

KPDNHEP said the cashless retail transaction initiative, the Retail Digitalisation Initiative (ReDI), would be expanded nationwide after being implemented in Terengganu and Sarawak last year.

The initiative, among others, aimed at encouraging the registration of e-wallets by consumers in making purchase transactions and creating a cashless community ecosystem.

KPDNHEP said enforcement operations will continue to be carried out via Ops Cakna, Ops Pasar and Ops Menu to ensure that no parties will take advantage of the floods that hit the country.

On assistance for flood victims, KPDNHEP through the Flood Volunteer Squad (SSB-KPDNHEP) has helped victims in Selangor, Pahang, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Kelantan and Kuala Lumpur through the post-flood clean-up activities.

The ministry through FoodBank Malaysia has also channelled aid in the form of ready-to-eat food products to the victims.

To date, SSB-KPDNHEP has helped a total of 171 families affected by the flood disaster in Shah Alam, Banting, Dengkil, Sepang, Kapar, Semenyih, Klang, Puchong and Pahang, while a total of RM344,200 in the form of ready-to-eat food items has been channelled through FoodBank Malaysia.

Meanwhile, KPDNHEP said the sales value of wholesale and retail trade rose 5.4 per cent to RM116.4 billion in October 2021 compared to RM110.5 billion in 2020.

“This shows that the sector regulated by the ministry is still recording positive development even though the country is facing the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as floods and rising prices of goods,” said KPDNHEP.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 5 — The Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities (MPIC) has launched “Mari Kenali Sawit” (Let’s Get to Know Palm Oil) books for primary and secondary students today, highlighting the benefits of palm oil and its contributions to sustainability and socio-economic development.

Minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin hopes students would get accurate information about palm oil from the books and disseminate the knowledge gained to their parents and their peers so that more people could learn about the commodity and palm oil industry.

“It is very important that we empower our kids with the knowledge on one of our biggest commodities in the country,” she said after the launch of the books in conjunction with the Reach and Remind, Friends of the Industry Seminar 2022 and Dialogue organised by the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) here today.

Zuraida also launched the Malaysian Palm Oil Full of Goodness campaign to kick off the new year to highlight the various advantages of palm oil and palm-based products.

She said the golden crop (oil palm) provides a slew of benefits to almost every layer of society.

“It (palm oil) is good for health, environment, sustainability, livelihood, and prosperity. In a nutshell, it is full of goodness on a holistic level.

“I hope with this new campaign, Malaysian palm oil will gain recognition locally and globally for its healthfulness and versatility,” she said.

The Reach and Remind Friends of the Industry Seminar 2022 and Dialogue provides an opportunity for the palm oil industry players to be updated on the current issues and challenges facing the industry and opportunities for the palm oil industry in 2022 and beyond.

In her speech earlier, MPOC chief executive officer Wan Aishah Wan Hamid said the one-day forum is a timely reminder for the palm oil industry members to help gain better understanding on various challenges and opportunities in trade of oils and fats which is constantly changing.

“If we do not adapt to the change we will invariably be left behind and the negative impact to the economy could be devastating,” she said.

She said as the world grapples with the dual challenge of slow economic growth and the pandemic, palm oil trade has not been spared from the spillover effects.

“There were various changes upon changes in trade and political policies has had a profound effect never been seen before in trade between nations.

“Tariff implementations, boycotts and retaliatory measures between countries are the new norm. Despite these challenges, our country has remained steadfast and resilient in the face of adversity,” she said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency