King launches smart padi cultivation scheme
PEKAN: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah officiated at the Ala Sekinchan Large-Scale Smart Padi Field (Smart SBB) programme at the Permatang Durian KPA (water user groups) Merchong scheme yesterday.
The Regent of Pahang Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah, Tengku Arif Bendahara Tengku Muhammad Iskandar Ri’ayatuddin Shah and Tengku
Panglima Perang Tengku Ahmad Ismail Mu’adzam Shah were also in attendance.
Also present at the ceremony held at the Kampung Merchong Mosque were Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri
Mohamad Sabu and Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.
Al-Sultan Abdullah also visited an exhibition, watched an Ala Sekinchan padi cultivation technique demonstration and operated a transplanter machine.
Launched in May last year, the Ala Sekinchan Smart SBB programme implements high-yield agricultural practices using the knowledge, attitude and practise approach.
The programme aims to increase the income of farmers by enhancing productivity through the application of good practices adopted by farmers in Sekinchan, Selangor.
In Pahang, the new farming model is supervised by the Pekan Integrated Agriculture Development Area in collaboration with a leading company in the Merchong scheme, which covers an area of 4,134ha with a total of 1,716 farmers.
There are 10 water user groups under the Merchong scheme, and the project will primarily focus on the Permatang Durian group.
The first phase of the project will involve 84 participants, with a cultivation area of 168ha. – Bernama