Dairy Board’s Asian ventures

Press, 14 May 1981, Page 23

Dairy Board’s Asian ventures

NZPA Hong Kong The New Zealand Dairy Board is on the verge of expanding its influence in South East Asia by. entering into joint ventures with interests in the Philippines and Malaysia. A joint venture with the giant brewer, the San Miguel corporation in the Philippines was announced last week, and the board's chairman, Mr Ken F. Mehrtens, has said that plans for a joint venture in Malaysia are under consideration.

The board already has a subsidiary company. New Zealand Milk Products (Pty), Ltd, in Singapore, and Mr Mehrtens said its activities would be consolidated and enlarged.

He was speaking in an interview near the end of a business trip to the Association of South-East Asian Nations capitals and Hong • Kong.

About 25 per cent of New

■ ‘ Zealand's dairy exports were ’'• sold to the A:S;E.A.N., Counit tries — Indonesia, Singapore, ! Malaysia, Thailand and In-

donesia — last year, earning the board SNZ26O million. Mr Mehrtens said the South-East Asian region received more New Zealand milk products than any other. Most of the trade was in butterfat and powdered milk used in the recombined milk processing industries. “We have had a very' good reception everywhere we have been," Mr Mehrtens said. "The Ministers we have met have all been aware of the co-operative nature of our industry in New' Zealand.”

Mr Mehrtens said that through its involvement with San Miguel the board would be associated in the manufacture of margarine, which would include milk fats.

“If you can’t beat them, join them.” he said.

His visit to Malaysia had helped clarify ideas about a joint venture there. It would involve “some • form of manufacturing . processes.” but we declined to elaborate. New Zealand is already a major supplier ' of milk powder to Malaysia, much of which is reconstituted into milk.