LZNK aims for more abandoned land for cultivation to improve asnaf economy

The Kedah Zakat Board (LZNK) is aiming for more abandoned lands to be cultivated through the Asnaf Large-Scale Smart Paddy Field (SMART SBBA) programme to help improve the economy of this group.

Its chief executive officer Datuk Syeikh Zakaria Othman said participants have been working on the pilot project involving 12 hectares in Kampung Chepir here for the past four months.

He said the joint venture between LZNK and the National Farmers’ Association (Nafas) is expected to help more asnaf to increase their source of income, in addition to contributing to the country’s food security policy.

“We will pay the rent for the land, provide the capital, site and equipment, but all the proceeds will go entirely to the asnaf.

We are doing this to help the asnaf group and hope this will be further expanded.

“We are taking this opportunity to offer the local community that needs help, advice, and any intervention from the Kedah Zakat Board to ensure that the lands are not abandoned,” he said.

Syeikh Zakaria said this to reporters after handing over paddy machines here, having earlier inspected the first harvest at the SMART SBBA Chepir site.

Meanwhile, he said his team will install more paddy machines which will be a convenience for the surrounding residents to produce rice from the harvested paddy for their own use.

He said that until now, two paddy machines have been placed at Masjid Batu 16, Padang Lumat near Yan, and one at Masjid As-Salam Chepir, in an effort to help reduce the burden of the residents due to the costs of living.

“I open an opportunity for all farmers to keep their paddy and use the machine so that they can feed the whole family, as well as provide (rice) to their neighbours who need it.

We are not bound by rice controls and the increase in the rice price...

we mill our rice ourselves and eat it ourselves,” he said.

Meanwhile, Malaysian NPK Fertiliser Sdn Bhd board of directors member Datuk Ismail Umar said Nafas always supports LZNK’s initiatives in efforts to help the asnaf group in this state in recommercialising abandoned land to make them more economically viable for this group.

He said Nafas provides the SMART SBBA Special Fertilisation Package formulated with new elements to increase rice yield from two to three tonnes per hectare to six to seven tonnes per hectare.

“The modification of this subsidy fertiliser formulation is based on reducing the chemical content in the fertiliser which is replaced by the addition of environmentally-friendly organic mineral elements to make the fertiliser more efficient, so as to be able to increase rice yields without increasing costs,” he said.