By Kamarul Halim M Kamal
KLUANG, Oct 4 (Bernama) -- Former factory worker Mohd Rosli Jumain never thought that his decision to quit his job after working for 20 years to take part in the Program Inisiatif Pendapatan Rakyat-Inisiatif Usahawan Tani (IPR-INTAN) would pay off, enabling him to earn nearly RM3,000 a month.
Mohd Rosli, 45, said he previously only earned about RM1,700 a month while working at a factory in Parit Raja, Batu Pahat as a general worker and had to work overtime to earn more.
The father of four said he decided to quit his job two years ago to join IPR-INTAN and cultivate chilli plants using fertigation, despite having no experience in agriculture at the time.
“While working at the factory, to earn RM3,000 a month I had to work overtime, but after joining IPR-INTAN, I only work during the day.
“Alhamdulillah, with the guidance of the Department of Agriculture, IRDA, the Economy Ministry and the private sector, I am now able to produce chillies not only for the local market, but also for sale in Singapore,” he told Bernama after Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir conducted a working visit to the IPR-INTAN Project at the Kluang Permanent Food Production Park (TKPM) recently to review the progress of the project’s implementation.
Mohd Rosli said he was entrusted with cultivating an area of almost 1.2 hectares through a five-year contract and is now able to produce more than one tonne of chilli every month.
He said the planting was carried out in stages according to plots to ensure that the produce could be harvested continuously and the supply was not interrupted.
“Each chilli tree is usually able to survive and produce for about six months before being replaced with a new tree and currently our crop has entered its third round.
“At this TKPM, participants are not only taught about modern cultivation and agriculture, but are also guided in the aspects of management and marketing of the produce,” he said.
He said the higher income helped to ease his family's burden and justified his decision to leave his previous factory job.
Meanwhile, Akmal Nasrullah said on his Facebook page that the IPR-INTAN TKPM Kluang project implemented by IRDA together with Chin Sam Chiap Sdn Bhd was part of the government's efforts to open up opportunities for low-income groups to increase their income through productive economic activities.
He said the project, which operates on 2.8 hectares, focuses on growing chillies through fertigation as well as leafy vegetables such as mustard greens, lettuce and spinach.
He said the project is targeting the participation of 25 participants with a target income of RM2,000 per month for each participant.
As of Aug 31, the project produced 99,864.1 kilogrammes of chilli and 339,749.9 kilogrammes of leafy vegetables with total revenue reaching RM1.618 million.
Akmal Nasrullah said the success of IPR is not just measured by the amount of production and sales revenue, but the extent to which participants are able to build skills, master production and marketing activities and develop capabilities as competitive entrepreneurs.
-- BERNAMA