KUALA LUMPUR: Dutch Lady Milk Industries Bhd (DLMI) has lauded the government's move to fast-track and prioritise vaccination of local and foreign workers in essential industries operating during the Movement Control Order (MCO) 3.0.
Managing director Tarang Gupta said the move would help the country flatten the curve as soon as possible and ultimately rebuild the economy.
"Like all concerned Malaysian companies, we are fully behind the government on the need to boost vaccination and expedite the process to achieve herd immunity as soon as possible," he said in a statement today.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who is also the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme coordinator, reportedly said an industrial vaccination programme would cover foreign workers, prioritising industries which could not close or where work from home for the employees was not possible during the lockdown period.
Based on government statistics, DLMI said there were deep concerns about the high number of clusters breaking out in the manufacturing and construction sectors.
According to the Health Ministry data, the manufacturing sector (not limited to essential services only) registered 48 per cent of Covid-19 clusters between February 22 and April 2 this year.
With the Selangor state government ramping up testing and consequently seeing a higher number of Covid-19 cases, the solution lies with speeding up vaccinations in Selangor.
Tarang said DLMI's workforce in Selangor made up a critical component of the national milk supply chain.
He added that any large outbreak of Covid-19 on site could severely disrupt the manufacturing, distribution and availability of dairy products to Malaysians nationwide.
With the federal government's firm stance on targeting vaccination drives for workers in the essential sectors, which would give businesses confidence and peace of mind, DLMI said it hoped to continue playing an effective role in nourishing the nation with high-quality dairy products.
"We will continue working hand-in-hand with many stakeholders including the federal and state governments to help make a difference in the lives of Malaysians and to partner us to 'Nourish the Nation'," Tarang said.
DLMI is also the largest purchaser of local fresh milk, which also plays a critical role in developing a sustainable local dairy farming industry to help the nation achieve self-sufficiency in domestic milk production in the near future.
Last year, DLMI committed RM400 million to build new manufacturing facilities in Bandar Enstek, Negri Sembilan to produce a wide range of nutritional products.