Prihatin budget put Malaysia in the right direction for economic recovery

PETALING JAYA Nov. 7 - Malaysia’s leading dairy company Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad (DLMI) lauded Budget 2021 tabled yesterday by The Minister of Finance Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz by describing it as a Budget developed in the spirit of Malaysia Prihatin and #kitajagakita.

DLMI said the expansionary budget would provide the right targeted assistance to the rakyat and business communities for recovery due to the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are pleased that the Government is striking the right balance for the best interest of all stakeholders through Budget 2021 with its priorities to curb the COVID-19 pandemic with a healthy share of the budget allocation for healthcare and stimulating the economic growth. We believe this Budget would set the country in the right direction towards revitalising the economy”, said Tarang
Gupta, managing director of DLMI.

DLMI also welcomes the Government's move to ensure the inclusivity of the rakyat's welfare from all walks of life via targeted assistance as the economic impact from the pandemic has hit almost all layers of the society in many ways. 

Putting more cash in the pockets will help Malaysians weather this storm and allow parents to obtain and have access to nutritious meals for their children, critical for their overall health and well-being.

Tarang said the Government’s allocation of RM19 million to implement the Malaysia Health National Agenda to promote a healthy lifestyle and help reduce risk of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity is also noteworthy. And a further RM28 million to implement the MyFit programme, the National Sports Day and Inspire Programme for the disabled
community.

“This agenda is consistent with DLMI’s Purpose of nourishing Malaysians as we are avid supporters of programmes to address malnutrition and obesity among the rakyat, especially our children,” he said.

DLMI also expressed strong support to the Government’s RM420 million allocation to the Ministry of Education to improve the existing Supplementary Meal Plan for school children from low-income families, in order to ensure they have a healthier and more nutritious diet including a supply of milk daily for schoolchildren, compared to just twice a week previously. Additionally, we are 
encouraged that RM170 million ringgit has been allocated for early childhood education programmes by KEMAS to fund, among others, Supplementary Food Assistance for pre-school children.

“We are extremely pleased that some of our Budget wish lists were heeded by the Government as we are strong proponents of the benefits of milk for pre-school and schoolchildren in addressing stunting and obesity, and also malnourishment; these are the two issues is currently faced by our children as outlined by the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2019 by the Ministry of
Health,” Tarang added.

“As Malaysia’s leading dairy company, DLMI has been providing high quality nutritious dairy products to Malaysian families since 1963 and we remain committed to nourishing the nation with high-quality dairy products that are affordable, healthier (less sugar) and packed with protein, calcium and essential nutrients,” he said.

DLMI is not just in the business of nourishing the nation but is deeply committed to re-investments for future value creation in the nation’s economy.

In July 2020, DLMI announced the expansion of its manufacturing capabilities with the acquisition of 32.59 acres of industrial land in HALMAS halal technology park, Bandar Baru Enstek, Negeri Sembilan for RM56.79 million which it aims to complete by this year for its future manufacturing facility as preparation to play a greater role in supporting the Government’s food security measures, which
were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

DLMI also recently in August launched an internal initiative in driving a culture of care among its employees via outreach programmes to the communities as part of this year’s Merdeka and Malaysia day with the ‘Malaysia Prihatin’ theme. This was not the first time that DLMI has sought to help out local communities during the pandemic as the company had earlier in April, distributed close to 170,000
packets of Dutch Lady milk to frontline workers at Sungai Buloh Hospital, University Malaya Medical Centre and Hospital Kuala Lumpur and underprivileged families impacted by the movement control order.

Milk products were also donated to law enforcement, Government agencies, and the media who were still on duty during the movement control order (MCO) period and in conjunction with the World Milk Day in June. These key ongoing corporate outreach programmes are anchored to its ‘Grass to Glass’ philosophy and its purpose of ‘Nourishing the Nation’. - DagangNews.com