19/02/2026

BIZ & FINANCE THURSDAY | FEB 19, 2026

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Ű BY JOHN GILBERT sunbiz@thesundaily.com

JDV agro-tourism hub in the making: Rhone Ma o Company will maintain strict biosecurity standards and high-tech production at Jemaluang Dairy Valley to support Malaysia’s food security

MyGDX set to expand to 150 agencies, cover 300 new data fields this year KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Government Central Data Exchange (MyGDX), a platform that enables real-time data exchange among government agencies, is set to expand to 150 agencies covering 300 new data fields this year. National Digital Department director-general Nik Zalbiha Nik Mat said as of early this year, MyGDX is operational across 81 ministries and public sector agencies, involving 51 data-providing agencies and 23 data-consuming agencies through 49 integrated systems. “Phase 1 of MyGDX 2.0 expan sion this year targets deployment across 150 agencies with 300 new data fields,” she said at the launch of the Public Sector Data Digitalisation Policy (PPDSA) and the expansion of the Public Sector Data Sharing Platform (MyGDX) recently. She said the expansion of MyGDX reflects the government’s commitment to building an inter connected public sector data ecosystem that meets the demands of modern admini stration and increasingly complex cross-sector challenges. Nik Zalbiha said MyGDX serves as a key enabler of the whole-of government approach, allowing secure, authoritative and real-time data sharing among public sector agencies. In line with public service reform, Nik Zalbiha said, the PPDSA has been introduced as the nation’s primary framework to ensure data digitalisation efforts are imple mented in an integrated and coordinated manner, in com pliance with the Data Sharing Act 2025 (Act 864). “This policy was not developed in isolation. Since May 2025, it has been formulated collaboratively with various agencies through an inclusive and phased approach.” Nik Zalbiha said this approach ensures that the policy launched is practical, relevant and responsive to the real needs of public sector agencies. “The policy is built around four key objectives: to drive systematic digitalisation of public sector data; to enhance usability and sharing of digital data; to strengthen public sector data governance; and to cultivate a data-driven culture.” She said its content is structured around four main pillars: data digitalisation management, digital data Security, infrastructure and technology, and digital data literacy and culture. “The implementation of PPDSA and the expansion of MyGDX are aligned with the 13th Malaysia Plan and the Public Sector Digitalisation Plan 2026-2030, providing a strong foundation for the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and realising Malaysia’s aspiration to become an AI-driven nation by 2030.” Ű BY HAYATUN RAZAK sunbiz@thesundaily.com

KUALA LUMPUR: Rhone Ma Holdings Bhd sees Jemaluang Dairy Valley (JDV) evolving into a premier agro-education and tourism hub in Malaysia by 2030, building on strong public interest while maintaining strict biosecurity standards and a high-tech dairy production focus to support the country’s long-term food security. JDV aims to deliver a “New Zealand of Malaysia” experience by leveraging Jemaluang’s natural scenery through dedicated visitor zones, ensuring tourism demand is met while maintaining a strict line of separation to protect its high-tech dairy operations. Beyond its scenic appeal, JDV also plans to position itself as an agro edutainment destination that highlights smart farming innovations, such as a rotary milking parlour and digital monitoring systems, without compromising animal comfort or herd health. Furthermore, JDV also sees agro tourism as a catalyst for broader regional growth, serving as an anchor attraction that encourages longer stays by tourists in the Mersing district and supports local homestays and businesses, in line with the East Coast Economic Region Roadmap to develop Jemaluang as a key tourism gateway. At the same time, Rhone Ma stresses that national food security

agencies, as well as leaders from Johor Corporation Group and Rhone Ma, reflecting strong multi stakeholder collaboration in strengthening Malaysia’s dairy industry. The development of the

Malaysia’s national milk output is projected to grow towards 60,000 metric tons annually. By reaching our target of 12 million litres per year (or one million litres per month) within the next five years, JDV becomes a critical pillar of that growth. “We are on a clear tra jectory to scale our herd size to 3,000 high-yielding dairy cattle within the three- to five-year window.”

remains its top priority, with all visitor engagements designed around a biosecurity-centric tourism model that uses technology to enable public interaction while safeguarding herd health. “Ultimately, we want JDV to be a source of national pride, a place where Malaysians can see, touch, and taste the future of their own food security,” group managing director Dr Lim Ban Keong ( pic ) told SunBiz . With JDV aiming for over three million litres of milk in 2026 and scaling to 12 million litres in five years, Dr Lim said, achieving a 20% boost in national milk output is a significant undertaking, but it is one that JDV is uniquely engineered to deliver. “To put this in perspective,

milk processing plant is a key component of JDV’s integrated dairy ecosystem and supports national efforts to improve the self sufficiency ratio (SSR) for fresh milk, which stood at 66.7% in 2024. Under Dasar Agromakanan Negara 2021–2030 , the government targets 100% SSR by 2030, with JDV expected to contribute about 16% upon full operation. Targeted to commence operations by the first quarter of 2027, the JDV milk processing plant will have an initial capacity of 14 million litres per annum, with expansion potential of up to 30 million litres per annum. The facility will produce fresh pasteurised milk and value-added flavoured milk products. Jemaluang Dairy Valley Sdn Bhd is a special purpose vehicle jointly established by Kulim (Malaysia) Bhd, a subsidiary of Johor Corporation, and A2 Fresh Holdings Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Rhone Ma, and has been entrusted by the Johor state government and the East Coast Economic Region Development Council to manage and operate the integrated dairy business.

This aligns with the East Coast Economic Region’s (ECER) initial strategic roadmap, ensuring our growth is disciplined and sustainable. To maximise yield per cow, JDV is equipped with the latest automation and advanced animal-welfare sys tems, ensuring high-efficiency, hygienic milk collection at scale. “By combining the ECER’s structural framework with Rhone Ma’s technical expertise in animal health and nutrition, we are not just increasing volume. We are setting a new benchmark for the efficiency and modernisation of the Malaysian dairy industry,” Dr Lim said. On Feb 5, the Johor state government held a groundbreaking ceremony for the JDV milk pro cessing plant, officiated by Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi at the Jemaluang Dairy Valley Complex in Mersing. The ceremony was attended by senior repre sentatives from federal and state

From left: JCorp president and CEO Datuk Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim, Onn Hafiz and JDV CEO Qasem Alhasan together with other dignitaries at the groundbreaking for the JDV milk processing plant.

Net Zero – need for future-proof and sustainable solutions THE National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) is intended to guide Malaysia towards a sustainable and resilient energy future. However, the roadmap, while addressing general issues related to climate change, needs more scientifically sound, sustainable and economically resilient approaches. This is to ensure the targets can be met while mitigating core climate change challenges. Levers of transition and misplaced priorities energy guzzlers, particularly the transport and building sectors, remain “unattended.” Billions are spent on alternative energy resources while the issue of high consumption persists. EE simply means reducing energy usage while maintaining output and this would save billions more compared to introducing new energy sources. a “silent cost pass through to tariff” which results in the socialisation of cost to the public while ensuring profitability for solar project owners. While battery energy storage system is seen as a solution, it also poses high environmental risk over a longer period. Bioenergy offers a more reliable and minimal manageable intermittent risk for resource, yet Malaysia is not tapping into it holistically. energy policy and project is a vital component that must be imple mented as it introduces radioactivity risk that is not captured by carbon related measurements. 0 Scientific argument against CCS/CCUS: Carbon capture, utilisation and storage is a high-capital expendi ture solution propagated by the oil and gas industry. Scientifically it does not convert green house gasses into harm less materials or a method in tandem with natural carbon sequestration. In future, CCS/CCUS may end up like coal industry. Investments into this need a rethink and reassessment of risks.

The remaining levers – hydrogen, green mobility, and bioenergy – are largely deemed as potential solutions with real results yet to be seen clearly. This short-term focus, will avoid building a strong supply chain and broader downstream industries necessary for creating a resilient new economic growth sector. The problem with intermittency and solar focus While Malaysia has reportedly achieved its 2025 RE target with over 31% installed capacity, it is not actual electricity generated 24/7. The reliance on solar, which is only effective for four to six hours daily, cannot cater to the base load (the minimum level of electricity demand required constantly 24/7). This intermittency forces fossil fuel plants to remain on standby, imposing

Deep-seated structural shortcomings We identify several structural short comings that will be a threat to derail the NETR targets: 0 Waste surge: The decade-long delay in addressing the e-waste issue arising from solar panel disposal must be addressed immediately. The Net Zero and the NETR will produce more emerging waste to be managed. Therefore, proactive and long-term planning is vital to ensure environ mental impacts are minimised. 0 The nuclear shortfall: The very proposal of nuclear energy is inter preted not as a strategic addition, but as a direct consequence of the NETR’s inability to reliably meet the base load requirement to meet Net Zero target of 2050. Transparency in nuclear

The NETR is built on six key levers – energy efficiency (EE), renewable energy (RE), hydrogen, bioenergy, green mobility, and carbon capture and utilisation (CCUS). Renewable Energy (RE) has shown the most noticeable growth, largely because it has been made profitable since 2011. However, this progress is insufficient and poorly managed, focusing narrowly on solar. On the contrary, the most critical foundational area, energy efficiency, is in “hibernation mode”. Malaysia is missing the most fundamental step in any successful energy transition: reducing overall energy consumption. The largest

We need to move towards more future-proof and sustainable solutions. We strongly urge the prime minister and the government to re-examine the roadmap through better and holistic consultations to develop solutions rooted in sound science and sustainable approaches. This is a vital step to ensure capital investments into the proposed mitigation bring better outcome for the nation and its economy. This article is contributed by Association of Water and Energy Research Malaysia president Piarapakaran S.