Planting the seeds of charity
RIZALMAN HAMMIM
2009/11/02
A company is not only raising the production of chillies to meet the demand, it is also giving back to the community by contributing part of its profit to charity. RIZALMAN HAMMIM reports on the hot topic
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| Mercu Agro Tani Johor Sdn Bhd general manager Roslan Hamdan (second from left) with the participants of the company’s scheme in Felda Taib Andak In Kulaijaya. |
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| Roslan Hamdan says under the scheme,seeds, fertilisers and advice are distributed free of charge to the participants, who will grow and harvest the chilli plants. |
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| Participant Mohd Wahid Monisa (right) with the chilli plants in the compound of his home. |
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| Sekolah Agama Taman Daya’s empty field has been put to good use with the planting of 500 chilli plants. |
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| Participants cultivate the variant of the chilli developed by the company known as ‘cili padi Johor’. |
REALISING that the demand for chillies was outstripping the supply and necessitating its import, particularly from Thailand, one company has come up with a unique scheme to improve chilli production in the country while contributing to charity at the same time.
Under the scheme, Mercu Agro Tani Johor Sdn Bhd would provide free chilli seeds and fertilisers for the participants, who would then take care of the plants and harvest the chillies.
The company would then buy the chillies at market prices, and the profit would be shared between the participants and the company. A portion would be allocated for the mosques, youth associations or charity organisations in the areas where the participants live.
The company would provide seeds, fertilisers and advice to the participants for free in the first year but by the second year, the participants are expected to be more independent and able to manage the scheme themselves.
Mercu Agro Tani Johor Sdn Bhd general manager, Roslan Hamdan, said the company promoted the concept of "Bertani, berniaga, beramal" (Agriculture, business, charity).
"Our aim is not only to produce successful farmers and increase the production of chillies in the country, but also to do it in a way that would benefit the communities where the farmers live," said Roslan.
He said the company's targets for the scheme were villagers, youths or youth organisations, the poor, the disabled, Orang Asli communities, single mothers, schools, mosques, rehabilitation centres and charity homes.
"So far, the scheme has received a good response from various parties, not only in Johor but also in Pahang, Selangor and other states," said Roslan.
One participant of the scheme is Sekolah Agama Taman Daya in Johor Baru, which grows the chilli plants in polybags at an empty field in the school's compound.
"We started with 250 chilli plants but a few month later, they contacted us and requested for more plants, so we sent another 250 plants. They began harvesting recently," said Roslan.
The company had also started the scheme at Rumah Seri Kenangan old folk's homes in Johor Baru, following a request from the state Social Welfare Department.
"Initially, we planted 1,000 chilli plants at the home but the department requested for another 1,000 plants. The scheme is beneficial for the homes as it provides the residents with something to do in their free time and generates income that they can use to buy the things they need," said Roslan.
The chillies that are grown by the participants are of a variant called the "cili padi Johor" that was developed by the company. The fresh chillies are also exported to Singapore.
Besides chillies, participants of the scheme can also grow bananas.
Mercu Agro Tani Johor Sdn Bhd may be a young company established early this year, but its people are experienced in the field of agriculture.
"One of our directors have over 17 years of experience in agriculture. We want to use our experience to produce successful modern farmers in the country," said Roslan.
The company, which owns a chilli plantation in Kota Tinggi and a plantation cum nursery in Kulaijaya, plans to diversify into the production of chilli-based products in the future.
"That is one of our aims in going forward. But at the moment, we are trying to increase production and meet the demand for fresh chillies in the country," said Roslan.
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