TANJONG KARANG, Aug 11 — Felcra Bhd participants throughout the country will be involved in the Beyond Benih community garden programme, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Beyond Benih is a British American Tobacco Malaysia Bhd community garden initiative to ensure food security and reduce the country’s dependence on food imports. It aims to encourage communities to plant various vegetables based on agricultural best practices and to sell the produce at subsidised prices.
Zahid said the programme can be scaled up with Felcra’s cooperation.
“This is because Felcra has 230,000 hectares of land, including plantations, estates, padi fields and fallow land, throughout the country.
“We must do it on a large scale to reduce our dependence on imports and ensure food security, and it must be done holistically,” he said during a media conference after launching the national-level programme here today.
“We import more than RM60 billion worth of food products annually, it’s a huge amount. That is why, besides the Veterinary Services Department and the cooperation of agencies like Felcra and the Rubber Industry Smallholders’ Development Authority (Risda), we breed cattle, goats and chickens for sale.
“Settlers, smallholders, Felcra participants and villagers are involved, but we do it on a small scale. It must be done on a larger scale to reduce dependence on imports,” he said, adding that this programme will create agricultural communities that can achieve food self-sufficiency.
There are two community gardens under the programme, one in Shah Alam and one in Tanjong Karang.
— Bernama
