Residents use Madani Community Fund to cultivate coral lettuce
Published on: Sunday, June 09, 2024
By: Bernama
Hydroponic coral lettuce planting project site.
KAMPAR: The initiative of a group of residents of Kampung Batu 8, Jalan Tanjung Tualang here, to transform an idle land into a hydroponic coral lettuce planting project site since the beginning of May, was worthwhile when the results successfully benefited the local community.
Project leader Mohmad Fazar Fadzillah, 37, said the implementation of the project on the 0.1 hectare site was assisted by an allocation under the Madani Community Fund initiative amounting to RM80,000, which was channeled to them through the Implementation Coordination Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department (ICU JPM).
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“This land left idle due to frequent flash floods. So, to prevent the land from being abandoned, we are determined to do something that can be beneficial.
“I found out about the allocation under this fund after watching (on television) the Prime Minister’s speech at the Rural Entrepreneurs Carnival KUD@Putrajaya 2023, at the end of November last year,” he said when met by Bernama at the Coral Lettuce Sales in Kampung Batu 8 here, on Friday.
Mohmad Fazar who is also the Kampung Batu 8 Village Development and Security Committee (JPKK) chairman, said acting on the announcement, he, together with several members of the village committee had a meeting and decided to cultivate coral lettuce.
“We applied (for a grant) on March 28 through the MySejaTiMadani website. Alhamdulillah, a month later our application was approved, and we used the allocation received to make this coral lettuce planting project a success,” he said.
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Commenting on the implementation of the project in general, he said as many as 1,300 pots were prepared for the cultivation of the coral lettuce, in addition to involving the participation of 16 participants consisting of residents of Kampung Batu 8.
He added that the main factor they decide to cultivate coral lettuce is due to the high price in the market and easy care and maintenance.
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“The price of one kilogramme (kg) of coral lettuce in supermarkets or certain places is around RM15 to RM20. This is the main factor, in addition to the fact that this disease-resilient plant is also easy to care for.
“This plant also only takes about 30 to 45 days to mature and can be harvested for the sales to the surrounding community,” he said.
In addition, Mohmad Fazar said care and monitoring are conducted daily, to ensure that the lettuce produces quality results.
“We do the work in turns and the most important thing is to look after the fertiliser and water, to ensure the quality,” he said.
Asked about the project’s future plans, Mohmad Fazar said they will expand the market, besides diversifying the types of crops on the site.
Meanwhile, ICU JPM’s Madani Community Development Section assistant director Nor Hanis Mazlan said the implementation of projects under the Madani Community initiative is to boost the local community’s economy, including in rural areas.
“The government provides allocations through the Madani Community Fund, which allocates grant between RM50,000 and RM100,000 to help communities implement programmes that can increase members’ income.
Nor Hanis said any community interested in implementing a project like this, needs to make a full application through MySejaTiMadani website.
“This fund is not only focused on the agriculture and food sector, but any community interested in implementing other projects such as sewing and handicrafts, herbs and health, hospitality and tourism, as well as green and recycling activities can also apply,” said Nor Hanis.
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