By Siti Rohaizah Zainal
SHAH ALAM, Oct 31 — The third edition of the 2022 Selangor Agro Icon has given recognition to four entrepreneurs in the categories of animal husbandry and agriculture.
The winners under the animal husbandry category are catfish and tilapia farmer Mohd Hafiz Nordin and stingless bee (lebah kelulut) beekeeper Faridah Khalid, while the agroprenuers are melon farmer Kamarul Iqbal Ismail and pineapple farmer Mohd Noorhardy Mohd NoorZain.
The four winners received cash prizes and equipment assistance worth RM10,000, as well as trophies presented by state executive councillor for agriculture Izham Hashim at Dewan Orkid at the Selangor Agricultural Development Corporation (PKPS) Building, here, last night.
When met after the event, Izham stated that the nominations for the programme, which began in 2020, were quite competitive due to the potential of the candidates and the nature of their business activities.
“The candidates were evaluated from various aspects, including the type of business, the use of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, and modernisation. This time, all candidates excelled in their respective categories.
“We hope that once they are recognised as icons, they will help guide other entrepreneurs in the same industry to launch their businesses,” he said.
Izham added that the state government also monitors the business operations of previous recipients of the award to ensure their continued success.
The Selangor Agro Icon initiative was created to transform Selangor into a food distribution hub and encourage more people to join the agricultural industry.
In its third edition, the search of the state icon saw 23 entries upon the application deadline on January 18.
The latest edition featured five categories, namely animal husbandry, aquaculture, crops, basic agriculture industries, and agro-tourism.
