KPMM wants more youths to take up farming

KEPALA BATAS: MCA Youth's Koperasi Petani Muda Malaysia (KPMM) wants more youths to take up farming so that Malaysia can be more self-sufficient in the food sector, said its chairman Senator Datuk Chong Sin Woon.
The Deputy Education Minister said youths had the talent and creativity to shake things up in the agriculture industry.
He said the KPMM had selected 13 fresh graduates and residents in Penang to become pioneering oyster mushroom farmers.
He said all the 13 selected individuals had received 4,000 mushroom spawning bags, nutrients and mushroom spores in June this year.
Chong, who is also MCA Youth chief, today officiated the opening of Happy Mushroom Grower Enterprise at Kampung Padang Lahar Kepar, Penaga here today (Oct 12).
Chong added beyond farming, the KPMM also would teach the youths on how to market their products to end users.
He said the KPMM had ready with RM5 million allocation as the loans to assist the youths who wanted to start their agriculture businesses.
Happy Mushroom Grower Enterprise founder, Ooi Pei Ning, 25, said she started her business in June after receiving 400 spawning bags from the KPMM.
"I then had found a friend, Sim Hoong Hooi, 25, who is my partner now, to expand my business from 400 spawning bags to 2,000 spawning bags now.
"Up to this moment, I can harvest about 400kg worth of oyster mushrooms every month. But I hope I can expand it into bigger again," she said, adding that the value of oyster mushroom in the market is between RM10 and RM18.