TERAJU-UMT SWEET MELON PROJECT BOOSTS INCOME OF 28 AGROPRENEURS IN T'GANU

MARANG, Feb 25 (Bernama) -- The Terengganu Sweet Melon Project implemented through a collaboration between the Bumiputera Agenda Steering Unit (Teraju) and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) is now benefiting 28 agropreneurs in the state, enabling them to enjoy more stable income while strengthening the local economy.

Teraju Assurance and Programme Management director Suhaila Salleh said the project, which received an allocation of more than RM2 million, had been implemented for five years, covering two years of implementation and three years of monitoring before being handed over to the community for maintenance and management.

"The project is now at the mid-stage, and has gone through its first harvest. It is an official Teraju project that is more structured with additional knowledge from the university.

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"Teraju provides funding to help increase the capacity of the melon cultivation project. The allocation from Teraju is used for infrastructure development, while participant training also uses our funds. UMT acts as a strategic partner assisting in training and guiding the participants," she said after the Teraju-UMT Collaboration Community Project Impact Recognition Ceremony at UMT Bukit Kor here today.

According to her, there has been a significant improvement among participants who previously had no fixed income and paid less attention to melon cultivation but were now able to generate returns and market their products at local markets.

"We are also collaborating with industry players, including the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA), which helps send the produce to farmers' markets, as well as the Department of Agriculture in terms of technical support," said Suhaila.

Through a structured approach combining infrastructure development, technology transfer and business management training, she said participants were now earning about RM1,200 a month.

Besides producing the crop, participants are also guided to transition from informal farming operations to more professional and transparent business management through structured training in financial management, accounting and governance.

A total of 17 rain shelter houses (RSH) complete with a semi-open fertigation system have been developed at the UMT Bukit Kor campus, involving an area of 1.5 acres.

Facilities in the area have the capacity for up to 7,200 polybags, while each participant at separate locations is able to cultivate about 1,000 sweet melon plants.

-- BERNAMA