MELAKA: Agro-tourism activities like featuring livestock in homestays can provide added value to attract tourists to use the accommodation, especially in villages, according to a Melaka state executive councillor.
State Rural Development, Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Committee chairman Datuk Abdul Razak Abdul Rahman said one programme implemented with the tourism portfolio was the release of betuk fish (ikan puyu) at the Kampung Alai Homestay recently.
“It is a fishery attraction for tourists, and we are ready to increase such programmes in other homestays. This will indirectly attract tourists who otherwise spend time in hotels in the city, thus benefiting the homestay and local economy,“ he told reporters after a presentation of one-off subsistence incentive to Melaka fishermen in Batu Berendam here today.
A total of 1,176 fishermen received the RM1,000 aid, given in four payments of RM250 each.
Meanwhile, following a media report yesterday on a herd of wild boar roaming at Kampung Kelongkong in Tanjung Kling since last month, Abdul Razak said a task force under the Melaka Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) was formed to monitor the intrusion of wildlife.
He said his department had received complaints about the unwanted animals as a threat to residents and which also damaged crops when foraging.
“Through this task force, Perhilitan will monitor the areas involved to eliminate the animals,“ he said.
He said residents encountering wild boar in their area need not worry about the African swine fever (ASF) infection as it only affected commercial pig farming, and not wild boar.
He was also confident that any spread of ASF in Paya Mengkuang in Masjid Tanah could be fully controlled following the initial preventive measures taken, including gazetting 36 farms in the area as epidemic and disease control areas. — Bernama
