JERTIH: The Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) aims to establish Besut as the hub for red onion cultivation in Terengganu.
Director-general, Datuk Dr Mohamad Zabawi Abdul Ghani, stated that this initiative will be realised through a pilot project in collaboration with Politeknik Besut in Bukit Keluang.
“Politeknik Besut will pioneer large-scale red onion cultivation in Terengganu and also represent the first collaborative project between MARDI and a public institution of higher learning in the country.
“In this initial phase, the BAW-1 variety of red onions developed by MARDI will be planted soon on a 0.16-hectare plot owned by the polytechnic,” he told Bernama during his visit to the project site at Politeknik Besut today.
Also present were Department of Polytechnic Education and Community Colleges (Governance) deputy director-general Kamaludin Daud; Politeknik Besut director Udom Ewon; and MARDI Terengganu director Khadijah Awang.
He added that MARDI plans to expand the project to three hectares by the end of this year, as Politeknik Besut has 14 hectares of suitable and vacant land.
“This cultivation project will also engage the local community. With large-scale planting, we aim to address the issue of onion supply shortages in the country while increasing the income of residents,” he said.
Meanwhile, Udom explained that during the first planting cycle, the onions will be cultivated by the staff and students of Politeknik Besut, while the second cycle will involve the local community.
“The participating community members will work alongside the student groups. They will be allocated plots and once the seedlings are plentiful, they will used for full cultivation by the local community on their respective land,” he said.
