SHAH ALAM – Cooperatives are encouraged to carry out urban farming, especially on idle or abandoned land, as a way to generate additional income and improve the standard of living of their members, especially the B40 group.
Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Tan Sri Noh Omar said the concept of urban farming is also in line with the cabinet’s decision to approve the use of abandoned land for non-permanent farming activities to generate income for local communities.
“The involvement of cooperatives in urban farming indirectly helps to increase the output of agrofood products.
“Efforts to establish cooperatives that carry out urban farming are also in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s announcement on the RM100 million allocation under the Agrofood Fund to increase the country’s food security, and with the government’s jihad against middlemen,” he said.
He said this after the launch of Kebun Koperasi Keluarga Malaysia and Kobuniti Agro Park in conjunction with the Selangor Aspirasi Keluarga Malaysia tour here today.
According to Noh, there are currently 3,262 cooperatives in the country involved in the agriculture and agro-based industry, with 10% of them carrying out urban farming.
Earlier, Noh opened Koperasi Kebuniti Selangor Bhd, covering 6.07ha at Section U12 Cahaya Alam here.
The cooperative provides sites for the asnaf and B40 groups as well as the local residents to carry out agriculture activities as a hobby or to generate income. – Bernama, August 21, 2022
