BINTULU: Farmers are being encouraged to grow different crops instead of just focusing on oil palm.
Minister of Food Industry, Commodity, and Regional Development Datuk Seri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom, advised the farmers to expand their agricultural activities by growing vegetables.
Dr Rundi said the farmers needed to change their mindset and considered crops that are easy to grow and can generate a good income with minimal effort.
For example, while palm oil is currently priced at 60 cents per kilo, eggplants can be sold for RM5 per kilo.
This means that cultivating vegetables like eggplants has the potential to earn farmers more money, with a ton of eggplants fetching RM5,000 compared to only RM600 for a ton of palm oil, he said.
Dr. Rundi said this during the opening ceremony of the Sebauh Agrofest, which took place here recently.
He acknowledged that embracing change and trying out new crops is not an easy task, but he encouraged farmers to be brave and adapt to new farming methods such as fertigation or hydroponics.
