By Diana Abd Wahab
SHAH ALAM, Jan 9 — Selangor intends to expand the agropreneur programme as part of its effort to encourage more participation from women and youth groups.
State executive councillor for agriculture Izham Hashim said the programme also aimed to discover young talents aside from helping industry players to generate income.
“We will expand the agriculture field, for instance, the freshwater lobster project in Hulu Langat. The initiative will provide more opportunities for youths to be involved directly in the project,” he said when contacted today.
To ensure the projects could be a success, Izham said the Ikan Agro Selangor winners will be appointed as mentors to the new players to ensure they will be guided and monitored accordingly.
He added that the agropreneur programme is aimed to change the mindset of those who believe agriculture is a difficult and dirty job.
“Modern agriculture is a women-friendly work, the process has eased thanks to the use of modern technologies. Aside from that, the sector also promises high yield returns and sustainable markets. Even the percentage of failure is low,” he said.
Izham added that the state government also helps to provide various facilities for agropreneurs including training, guidance and even assistance in terms of product marketing.
