PEKAN, PAHANG, 13 DECEMBER 2021: A total of 297 participants of the Pekan Agropolitan Project (PAP) in Tanjung Batu, Batu 8 Mukim Lepar dan Runchang in Pahang received titles for their homes from Menteri Besar of Pahang YAB Dato’ Sri Haji Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail in a ceremony held at the Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Convention Hall in Pekan, Pahang, today.
Present at the ceremony were Pahang State Secretary YB Dato’ Sri Dr. Sallehuddin Bin Ishak, ADUN Bebar YB Dato’ Mohammad Fakhruddin Bin Mohd Ariff, ADUN Pulau Manis YB Dato’ Khairuddin Bin Mahmud, ADUN Chini YB En. Mohd Sharim Bin Md Zin and Chief Executive Officer of ECERDC En. Baidzawi Che Mat.
The Agropolitan project established by the East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC) in 2009, aims to eradicate poverty in the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) with FELDA as the Implementing Agency. Under the project, the hardcore poor were identified and resettled into new homes on Agropolitan sites equipped with public facilities, where they were employed in agriculture-related activities to enable them to earn a stable income.
In Pahang, a total of 374 participants, including 62 Orang Asli have benefited from the project, which has two main economic activities; Dorper sheep breeding in Batu 8 and Runchang, and oil palm plantation in Tanjung Batu. A total of 77 participants have received their house titles earlier in 2017 and 2018. The land for the houses was provided by the Pahang state government with only a minimal processing fee to be paid by the participants.
“I am confident that with the experience and skills they have gained in agriculture and entrepreneurship over the last 10 years from ECERDC and FELDA, the participants are ready to move forward to the next level. The participants should be proud that they have worked on the largest Dorper sheep breeding project in Malaysia,” said Pahang Menteri Besar YAB Dato’ Sri Haji Wan Rosdy at the ceremony.
“The project’s aim is two-pronged, to help improve the participants’ living standard as well as provide their family and the next generation with a strong foundation to achieve success. Life in the Agropolitan project has provided a conducive environment for the participants’ children to achieve academic success and family members were empowered to learn new skills via ECERDC’s human capital development programmes to help supplement the household’s income,” said En. Baidzawi Che Mat, CEO of ECERDC.
To ensure the project’s long-term sustainability, the management of the Agropolitan project will be handed over to anchor companies. The transition will open up more opportunities for self-development for the participants and the new generations through employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.
“The focus of the next phase will be to continue building up the capabilities of the participants and enable them to be skilled, resilient and independent. ECERDC will continue to offer upskilling and reskilling programmes to equip the participants with marketable skills, to ensure they are able to have a stable income for themselves and be able to support their family,” added Encik Baidzawi