There’s money in watermelons

 

Farmer Rohaya Mahmud shows Che Abdullah Mat Nawi the pumpkins from her farm during the harvesting ceremony. (Bernama pic)

BACHOK: About 10,000 farmers along the coast of Bachok are able to generate an overall income of over RM32 million a year – by growing watermelons, pumpkins and sweet potatoes.

Deputy agriculture and food industries minister II, Che Abdullah Mat Nawi, said over 90% of the total income was derived from watermelon crops on 1,290ha of land, which were cultivated twice a year and could provide a return of RM29 million.

“Most of them (farmers) are former tobacco farmers and fishermen who are unable to go to the sea during the monsoon season,” he told reporters during a watermelon harvesting event in Kampung Kandis here, today.

He said the pumpkin crops on a 77ha land have generated RM2 million while the sweet potatoes, which were cultivated once a year on a 400ha land, generated an income of RM1 million.

Che Abdullah said the crops were sold to buyers from Penang, Kuala Lumpur and several top supermarkets.

On the shortage of animal feed and increase in their prices, he said the ministry through various departments and agencies would monitor the situation so as to ensure the prices would not increase further and burden the farmers.

“We cannot avoid the price hike because we depend on imported materials,” Che Abdullah said.

He added that the ministry would also encourage farmers to produce their own animal feed by using agriculture waste such as from corns or growing Napier grass which is easy to manage.

“We will provide courses to farmers on how to plant the grass and process it to produce animal feed,” he said. - FMT