PADANG TERAP: The Kedah Regional Development Authority (KEDA) will strengthen durian cultivation through the Integrated Village Economic Development Project (PROSPEK) in Pedu to further revitalise the agrotourism sector in the subdistrict.
KEDA chairman Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said the project, which involves 12 villages in the subdistrict, has so far succeeded in increasing the income and quality of life of the local residents.
“Our aim is to revitalise existing durian orchards... so facilities, roads, and fertilisers are provided, and we are looking for ways to clean up these orchards so that when durian season arrives, more people can come here and visit the orchards — that’s our goal.
“It’s a good programme and I want to review the status of the 12 villages in the Pedu subdistrict so we can refine it further... there are also homestays, so people can come and eat durians right here,” he said after attending the Durian Festival@Pedu 2025 programme here today.
He said KEDA will improve infrastructure and farm roads in the involved villages, and also streamline the durian collection process in the orchards to make it more efficient.
According to Mahdzir, as of now, 280 hectares of the king of fruits are cultivated by 309 PROSPEK participants, yielding over 300 tonnes of durians comprising both clone varieties and kampung (village) durians.
He said PROSPEK Pedu began in 2022 with a five-year development phase and a total project cost of RM8 million.
It is a project under the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development.
