Johor set to develop bio-industry

JOHOR BARU: Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Mohamed Khaled Nordin (pix) today said the state will develop a bio-industry next year.
Disclosing this at the Johor International Bio-economy conference 2016 at Persada, he said, the bio-industry, the so-called green industry, can create high value products and services and can change consumption patterns.
"We will support the Federal bio-industry policy, but the state government needs to have its own bio-industry roadmap to maximise its bio-resources, and to set up a Pharmapolis in future," he added.
The Pharmapolis is emulating the model of Osong Medical Park, a state run technopolis for the bio-industry initiated by the Korean government.
Johor Biotechnology & Biodiversity Corporation (J-Biotech), a GLC owned by the state government, will embark on the study next year which will be completed within nine months with an estimated cost of RM500,000. J-Biotech owns 9,000 acres of land in Desaru.
Khaled said the pharmapolis will be set up in rural areas to maximise agricultural products and the state government will have a bio-industry policy across the board, from forestry to fisheries, equipped with modern governance policy to ensure sustainable development.
Citing an example, he said, milk in Scotland can be transformed into high protein foods through bio-technology and we can also explore the potential of our plants and make it bio-products.
For bio-produces, Malaysia recorded RM130.8 billion or 11.3% of GDP in 2015.
Earlier, J-Biotech signed three memorandum of understanding (MOU), with KBIO Health from Korea to develop bio-medical cluster and establish a conducive ecosystem for green technology; with JK Medical Group, Korea, to develop a bio-medical hub equipped with bio-technology for rejuvenation and anti-aging products and services and with a local company, Rimbunan Serantau, to jointly develop commercial products from biodegradable and bio-compost materials.