By Kurniawati Kamarudin
The vast tracts of agricultural land abandoned by their owners due to old age or other reasons are a matter of concern. If put to good use, its output can help the nation to slash its yearly food import bill that now runs into billions of ringgit.
This final of a four-part series of articles tracks the experiences of two people who have successfully rehabilitated their idle land.
TEMERLOH: Salleh’s two-hectare plot of land in Kampung Paya Jejawi here, that has been lying idle for five years, is now thriving with 250 young coconut and 2,000 banana trees planted there.
Cultivated a year ago, the ‘berangan’ bananas will be ripe for harvesting by September while it will take another three to four years before the yellow Malayan coconuts can be harvested.
Previously overrun by unsightly weed, bushes and undergrowth, the plot’s transformation was made possible through the Department of Agriculture’s (DoA) Idle Land Development programme, an initiative it introduced in 2007 to encourage landowners to utilise land that has been left unused for agricultural purposes.
Sharizal, 40, who works for a private company, can breathe a sigh of relief whenever he takes a look at his flourishing plants which will soon generate an income for him.
The father-of-five said the incentives offered to him by DoA — in the form of coconut and banana seedlings and fertiliser — had helped him a lot to put his land to good use as he did not have enough capital to meet the cost of cultivating the land.
“I had applied to DoA to participate in its Idle Land Development Programme and within just five months, my application was approved. Not only that, but the department also helped with the land clearing work,” he told Bernama when met here, recently.
FORTNIGHTLY VISITS BY DoA
Although he has a full-time job, it is not too difficult for Shahrizal to attend to his farm as it is located not far from his office in Temerloh.
Before and after work, he would stop by there to keep a check on his young trees.
“Although my land is fenced up, I’m worried about wild boars as my farm is surrounded by bushes and undergrowth,” he said.
He also said that the fortnightly visits by DoA officials to check on his farm and give him advice made him all the more eager to make a success of his agricultural venture.
Shahrizal said two years ago he had planted 5,000 banana trees on a two-ha plot belonging to his family and its success gave him the confidence to cultivate his own land.
“The ‘pisang nangka’ I had planted on my family-owned land yielded an income of RM20,000 after just one round of harvesting,” he said, adding that if tended properly, the batch of banana and coconut trees that he has cultivated now would also produce equally lucrative yields.
He sold his ‘pisang nangka’ to petty traders around Temerloh and according to him, the demand for his produce outstripped supply.
“I’m sure there will be a good market for the coconuts and bananas I’ve now cultivated,” he said.
While waiting for his coconut trees to mature, he would continue to plant bananas and he reckons that he can complete up to three rounds of harvesting before the coconuts are ready to be picked.
Pointing out that financial constraints can be an impediment to developing idle land, Shahrizal said: “In my case, even though DoA gave me incentives, I still had to spend about RM6,000 to build a fence and pay my workers, as well as build a pond to serve as a source of water for my farm.”
GUAVA
Abidin Darus, 59, who is self-employed and owns a 1.2 ha plot in Kampung Paya Jejawi, said his land had been lying idle for three years since 2014 when Temerloh and other parts of the east coast were severely hit by floods.
In 2017, with the assistance of DoA, he planted 250 guava trees on his land in a bid to revive its economic viability.
“I used to plant coconut trees on my land but they were all destroyed by the floods. After that I didn’t have enough capital to cultivate my land so it was left idle until two years ago,” he said, adding that DoA helped him to clear the land and also gave him seedlings, fertiliser and a water pump.
Guava trees were relatively easy to plant and maintain, said Abidin, adding that he has already harvested fruits from his trees three times as the seedlings given to him by DoA were of a bud-grafted variety.
“Monkeys are my only problem here and they come to my farm every morning to eat up my guava,” he lamented.
Using his creativity, he made his own makeshift “windmills” which he installed on his farm, and when the wind blows, the sound made by the windmills would scare the monkeys away.
“Minus those fruits eaten by the monkeys, I usually get to harvest about 30 kilogrammes of guava a week,” said Abidin, who has set up a stall near his house to sell his produce.
He said he has had to turn away wholesalers who came to him for guava supplies as, currently, his production capacity is limited.
Abidin, who spends about four hours a day tending the guava trees, said: “I like to keep my plot neat and clean so that my trees get enough nutrients to flourish and produce quality fruits.”
Side story
There is an estimated 110,000 hectares of abandoned agricultural land throughout Peninsular Malaysia.
Idle or abandoned land is defined as land with a minimum area of 0.4 ha that has been alienated to a private individual or firm but not cultivated for three years in a row.
Through the DoA’s Idle Land Development Programme, the department is encouraging farmers to cultivate their idle land to increase their income and the nation’s food production capacity.
Crops suitable for cultivation on idle land include vegetables, fruits and commodities that can be harvested within a short period and have a good market.
The DoA serves as a facilitator and reference centre for information on idle land. It also provides technical advice on matters such as suitability of crops according to soil type.
Those interested in developing their idle land or leasing it out can contact DoA at 03-8870 3000 or visit their website at www.doa.gov.my. – Bernama
