KOPERASI Keluarga Raja Samah Bhd (Koras) is looking to expand the market for its ready-to-eat products by penetrating the markets in Singapore and Indonesia.
The cooperative’s (co-op) chairman, Raja Rusman Raja Samah is confident that its latest product, the maman chicken rendang, will receive a favourable response based on the co-op’s success in Doha, Qatar early this year.
“We are currently working on getting approvals to bring our product to Singapore and Indonesia,” he told Bernama recently.
Raja Rusman said the Negeri Sembilan traditional dish has the potential to attract consumers, adding that aside from Qatar, the product has also received encouraging demand from Vietnam and Taiwan.
In Malaysia, the product is currently available in several states such as Kelantan, Johor, Perak, Labuan, Sabah and the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur.
After selling 300 packs of the maman chicken rendang in Doha – a considerable feat for the small co-op, Raja Rusman said the product has also received favourable response locally, with an average of 200 packs sold per month.
“This is because the product is suitable for people who are travelling, performing Haj or Umrah, camping or those who are working overseas and craving for local food. They are our target groups.
“Currently, the co-op is able to produce about 1,300 to 3,000 packs every three months, as it depends on the availability of the raw ingredient, maman, which is seasonal,” he said.
He said it requires 400 kilogrammes of maman — a type of wild spinach — to prepare 1,300 packs of the product, and up to one tonne of the plant is required to prepare 3,000 packs.
“Currently, we get our supplies from Terachi, Kuala Pilah and Gemencheh, Tampin,” said Raja Rusman.
Applying his 35 years of work experience, which includes imports and exports of commodities when he was working in Petronas, Raja Rusman said the dish is prepared using the retort technology, enabling the product to retain its taste and last for up to two years.
Aside from the maman chicken rendang, Koras also produces spicy anchovy pastes (sambal ikan bilis) and is collaborating with another company to produce chicken and lamb bryani, which is sold under the co-op’s label.
“Moving forward, we will continue to diversify our products,” he said, adding that the co-op aims to achieve RM156,000 in profits this year, but noted that the target may be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. – March 15, 2020, Bernama
