| Azlan Othman |
IN A bid to encourage more youths to engage in rice production in the country and to open up more job opportunities, a signing ceremony for the lease of land between the Department of Agriculture and AgriFood and the Youth Development Centre for youth’s paddy planting project was held yesterday.
The move would also enhance the economic livelihood families and tackle social ills among youths. The youths have engaged in both theoretical and practical training programmes since January, which ended in May using discovery learning approach.
The training programme involved eight core aspects that could influence the production and quality of paddy such as quality seedlings, provision of paddy field, planting site, simultaneous paddy planting, nutrient and water management, management of pesticides and management of harvesting.
Present at the event as the guest of honour was Haji Khairuddin bin Haji Abdul Hamid, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship) at the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources.
Director of Agriculture and AgriFood Hajah Aidah binti Haji Mohd Hanifah and Acting Assistant Director and Head of Youth Development Centre Haswandi bin Haji Osman, at yesterday’s event. – AZLAN OTHMAN
The Department of Agriculture and AgriFood was represented at the signing by its director Hajah Aidah binti Haji Mohd Hanifah and it was witnessed by its Acting Deputy Director of Agriculture and AgriFood Hajah Khartini binti Haji Musa was the witness.
Meanwhile the Youth Development Centre was represented by Acting Assistant Director and Head of Youth Development Centre Haswandi bin Haji Osman and Training Officer Saiful Rizal bin Haji Ariffin.
Both parties have agreed to offer an 18 hectare site at Lot 2G, Kg Bebuloh agriculture development site. The department will also provide basic farming infrastructure and incentives such as manure, pesticides, machinery, paddy cost assistance scheme, advice and training such as Rice Farmers Field School. The site agreement signing is a benchmark and pioneer programme for the involvement of youths in the agriculture commercially and systematically in the country, especially in rice production to ensure food security.
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