BAGAN DATUK: A total of RM180,000 has been allocated to develop the Perak Sejahtera@MARDI Bagan Datuk Park which will among others focus on the development of the coconut industry as well as potentially being highlighted as a tourism product in conjunction with Visit Perak Year 2024.
Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said the construction of this facility has been fully regulated by the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) beginning July and fully completed early this month.
“The development of the Perak Sejahtera park will also be the focal point of agrotourism activities and the development of the Wilayah Perak Selatan Maritime City, and is seen to be in line with MARDI’s role as a centre of excellence for coconut research,“ he said when met at the launch of the Perak Sejahtera@MARDI Bagan Datuk Park here today.
“The park will operate on working days (Mondays to Fridays) between 8 am and 5 pm. The entry charge for adults is between RM10 and RM20 whereas it is RM5 for children.”
Saarani said at the Perak Sejahtera park, visitors have the opportunity to get to know more closely the coconut-based products and by-products produced by MARDI, which is also known as Taman Agroteknologi MARDI@Cocostourism.
“This park differs from other agrotourism parks in the country as it uses the the T.I.C.E.R approach that is Technology (T), Innovation (I), Conservation (C), Edutainment (E) and Recreation (R) which specialises in plant research on coconut and coconut-based products,“ he said.
Apart from this, he also said among the main attractions in the park are demonstrations of assisted pollination to produce hybrid coconuts, as well as coco peat, coco fibre and virgin coconut oil (VCO).
“Here, visitors can also find dwarf coconut seedlings and hybrid coconuts for sale. In addition, there is also a park that houses the Barbados Black Belly sheep,“ he added. –Bernama
