KANGAR (Sept 9): The People's Income Initiative (IPR)-INTAN farms, located within the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) in Perlis, are projected to produce over 12,000 tonnes of crops annually, once fully operational.

The IPR-INTAN@NCER initiative is spearheaded by the Ministry of Economy, in collaboration with the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA).

According to NCIA chief executive, Mohamad Haris Kader Sultan, the IPR-INTAN@NCER project in Perlis is currently underway on 50.586 hectares, with a production target exceeding 2,200 tonnes of chili, eggplant, and okra a year. An additional 299.467 hectares will be developed by the end of the year, bringing the total farm area to 350 hectares.

“IPR-INTAN@NCER in Perlis will generate 745 job opportunities for locals, along with access to the Malaysian Skills Certificate Level 3 and financial management training. These will be offered in partnership with the Department of Skills Development and Universiti Teknologi Mara," he said, in a statement on Monday.

The statement was issued in conjunction with the strategic partners’ appreciation ceremony for the implementation of NCER's IPR-INTAN, in Chuping Valley, Chuping near Padang Besar on Monday which was officiated by Perlis Menteri Besar Mohd Shukri Ramli.

Mohamad Haris said that the IPR-INTAN@NCER initiative in Perlis will be integrated with participants from NCER's Entrepreneur Sustainable Transformation (NEST) programme. Initially, two local companies, Farmotic and Abi Agro, will be involved.

“Farmotic and Abi Agro's respective expertise in agricultural robotics technology, and fertilisation equipment and hydroponics, will complement IPR-INTAN@NCER through technological collaboration, and further help the programme achieve a wider impact

“NCIA has also formed a strategic partnership with FGV Integrated Farming, to facilitate the sale of IPR-INTAN@NCER's crop harvests via KedaiFGV.com under the LADANG 57 brand,” he added.

In addition to focusing on attracting investment to NCER, Mohamad Haris highlighted that the implementation of IPR-INTAN@NCER demonstrates NCIA's strong commitment to modern agricultural programmes which align with the national food security agenda, as outlined in NCER's Strategic Development Plan.

“According to data from the Department of Agriculture, the self-sufficiency rate [SSR] for vegetable crops in Malaysia was only 44.7% in 2022. This means that over 55% — or around two million tonnes — of vegetables must be imported to meet local demand, amounting to RM6.2 billion. The import value has risen for four consecutive years since 2019.

“Therefore, NCIA will continue to drive the implementation of IPR-INTAN@NCER, alongside other agricultural modernisation projects, like NCER's AgriBio Economic Zone [NAEZ], to address this issue,” he said.

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