COMPLETION OF PETA RAINFOREST DISCOVERY CENTRE TO BOOST ECO-TOURISM IN TAMAN NEGARA JOHOR ENDAU-ROMPIN
IPR-INTAN Chili Fertigation project in Segamat seeks to alleviate poverty among the poor, hardcore poor and B40 community
ISKANDAR PUTERI, 2 OKTOBER 2023: The East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC) has created another tourist destination in Taman Negara Johor Endau- Rompin (TNJER) in Mersing, Johor with the completion of the Peta Rainforest Discovery Centre (Peta RDC). Peta RDC is the second discovery centre completed by ECERDC, the first was Kinchin Rainforest Discovery Centre in Taman Negeri Rompin which was completed in 2019.
The Peta RDC houses a visitors’ complex, management office, public toilets, surau, a multipurpose hall and cafeteria. It will become a one-stop centre for visitors to obtain information before exploring and carrying out activities at TNJER.
TNJER is part of Taman Negara Endau-Rompin (TNER), the second largest national park in Peninsula Malaysia after Taman Negara covering an area of 80,702 hectares spreading across two states, Pahang and Johor. It is among the top eco-tourism attractions in the country.
Johor Menteri Besar YAB Datuk Onn Hafiz bin Ghazi during the ECER Implementation and Coordination Committee (ICC) Johor meeting, here, today, complimented ECERDC for the completion of projects in Mersing which include Peta Rainforest Discovery Centre at Taman Negara Johor Endau-Rompin and KampungStay@Teluk Buih which is becoming more popular among tourists.
He also urged all state government agencies to work closely with ECERDC to ensure Mersing and Segamat will become agriculture hubs in the coming years to support food security initiatives.
“The development of Peta Rainforest Discovery Centre in Taman Negara Johor Endau-Rompin will strengthen the park’s attraction as an ecotourism destination, and it will become a platform for conservation and preservation initiatives in the long run. It will also create spillover benefits for the locals especially the Orang Asli community in the area through the creation of jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities in the tourism sector as vendors of local crafts or as tour guides,” said YBhg. Dato’ Baidzawi Che Mat, Chief Executive Officer of ECERDC.
“Once the road improvement work from the junction of Kahang to Kampung Peta is completed, we expect tourist arrivals to increase and this will spur the local economy. We also hope to attract tourism company operators to invest and operate in the area,” added YBhg. Dato’ Baidzawi.
The development of Peta RDC in TNJER is in line with ECERDC’s Rainforest to Reef (R2R) concept which seamlessly links and package all tourism products, assets and development from rainforest to beaches such as Tanjung Penyabong waterfront and KampungStay@Teluk Buih which provide an immersive experience in a village setting for tourists. Peta RDC will be handed over to Johor National Park Corporation for operationalisation in November 2023.
The ICC Johor members were also briefed on the chili fertigation project in Mukim Sermin under entrepreneur ECER which is implemented in collaboration with Segamat District Office and Grasicili Farm Sdn. Bhd. as the anchor company. Ten (10) participants from the B40 group have been appointed and reported for duty on August 2023 and the first harvest is expected to be collected in November 2023.
ECERDC is also implementing a commercial scale chili fertigation programme under Inisiatif Pendapatan Rakyat (IPR) IPR-INTAN which will commence soon in Segamat. ECERDC, together with the Johor state government have identified suitable land in Segamat for the project which will be implemented under the Anchor Company model. The project will help alleviate poverty among the workers who will be earning a fixed salary above minimum wage.
The ICC members were also briefed on the progress of ECERDC’s other projects including Jemaluang Dairy Valley which is expected to be completed in Quarter 3 2024 and the selection of tenants for Endau-Mersing Fish Processing Park.