THE VICE-CHANCELLOR REVIEWS THE GOAT AND CHILLI FERTIGATION PROJECT
UUM ONLINE: The government provides various incentives and community farming opportunities with the goal of raising the average income and improving the socioeconomics of the people among them is through the chilli fertigation planting project also known as the Development of Modern Agriculture Community (D'MAC) and the People's Goat Project (PROKar).
As such, the Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Prof. Dr Mohd Foad Sakdan reviewed the development of the chilli fertigation planting project and the goat project, both of which are located in Changlun and Kodiang, Kedah respectively.
Prof. Dr Mohd Foad spent time at the chilli project site in Kampung Tradisi, followed by a briefing and socialised with participants, researchers and the local community. While he was in Kampung Damai, Kodiang, he visited the goat pen and napier grass planting area. He also participated in the grass planting activity alongside the students.
Accompanying Prof. Dr Mohd Foad was the leader of the PROKar Project, Prof. Dr Siti Hadijah Che Mat and D'MAC Project Leader, Dr Rozana Samah.
He explained that the social enterprise programme overseen by Prof. Mukaramah Harun witnessed these two projects, each of which had a value of RM825,000 and had been undertaken by Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) in conjunction with the Ministry of Finance of Malaysia (MoF).
"The D'Mac chilli fertigation project involves 20 participants around Temin subdistrict and Sungai Laka subdistrict. To date, all participants have completed the chilli fertigation training, financial management courses, and digital marketing courses, and they are currently in the planting process for the first season of chilli production.
"The PROKar project was carried out in Kodiang comprising five participants rearing goats who were supplied with 30 goats and a pen in addition to two participants cultivating napier grass.
"The napier grass plant project is one of the important additional projects in this programme, especially to support the feed needs of farmers," he said when inaugurating the Madani Bright Student Programme.
Through the production of chilli, livestock and napier grass products, participants are not only able to increase their income, but can also help the local community by offering employment opportunities to market the downstream items created, indirectly becoming successful entrepreneurs in the process.
"For the selected villagers, it is my hope that the participants will take full use of the opportunity, as well as the assistance and guidance provided by the UUM researchers.
"This research activity in the form of community service is also able to bridge the relationship between UUM and related agencies such as the Veterinary Department, KEDA, the Department of Agriculture and the Regional Farmers' Organisation (PPK) considering that after the completion of this project, these identified agencies will continue their efforts in terms of guidance and monitoring," he said.
In addition to expressing gratitude to the Dean of the School of Financial Economics and Banking (SEFB) and the Director of the Economic and Financial Policy Institute (ECOFI), he congratulated the project's chief and participants.
He expressed hope that the participants will implement this initiative with the utmost dedication and cooperation, and that this will help improve the socioeconomic status of rural communities.