KUANTAN: The Ministry of Rural Development (KPLB) has allocated RM80 million to implement food supply programmes in the livestock and plantation industries to ensure the country's food security.
Its Deputy Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad(pix)said the allocation would be given to the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (RISDA) and FELCRA Berhad to expand and strengthen the food supply in the country.
According to Abdul Rahman, KPLB had confidence in FELCRA Berhad’s ability to implement an RM60 million-livestock project under the 12th Malaysia Plan to carry out a closed house system of broiler farming on a large scale in Tanjung Seratus, Rompin.
“FELCRA Berhad is expected to be able to produce 600,000 broilers per round, or every 35 days, making them one of the major players in the broiler industry, thus creating more job opportunities and boosting related industries,“ he said in a media statement here today.
Abdul Rahman said RISDA received an allocation of RM20 million for the implementation of the Agro-Food Programme involving 1,000 participants nationwide. The programme is a development strategy to optimise the increase in income of smallholders while ensuring the country's food supply remains at a safe level.
RISDA, through its company RISDA Livestock Sdn Bhd (RLSB) has implemented the integration of cattle feedlots to increase local meat production with halal status to meet the needs of the product.
“RLSB targets 6,000 cows to be processed to meet the country’s food needs this year and will be increased to 10,000 a year, thus reducing the dependence on imported meat supply sources,“ he said.
Abdul Rahman said KPLB also had various successful programmes related to food supply such as the Fertigation Farming Project, used as an activity to increase the income of participants of FELCRA Bhd’s Dynamic Women's Association (WADIRA) and youths.
So far, the project has had a positive impact with 35 projects having borne fruit and operating successfully such as the Tembeling Tengah, Durian Hijau, Sri Makmur and Pahang Tenggara projects, which saw the planting of cucumber, chilli and ginger having an average yield of between RM10,000 to RM12,000.-Bernama
