BY NORHAYATI MOHD AKHIR
PUCHONG: Results have proven the efforts worthwhile for the inaugural group of People’s Income Initiative-Agro Entrepreneur (IPR-INTAN) participants in the aquaculture sector, as the red tilapia they reared reached maturity and became marketable.
Their determination to improve their economic situation bore fruit, with participant Zulkefli Shafie, 40, sharing the good news as he worked on 12 red tilapia cages for almost five months at the fish hatchery centre, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).
Selangor-born Zulkefli said that if the five participants successfully sold all the red tilapia from the 12 cages, they expected an income of up to RM24,000.
“Currently, our income is RM2,000 per month, but after joining IPR-INTAN, it may reach RM6,000 per month. In my view, we can already witness the effectiveness of this programme. I do hope that the government will continue this initiative,” he said when met by Bernama at the IPR-INTAN Fresh Tilapia Sales recently.
Zulkefli shared his experience participating in IPR-INTAN, mentioning that initially, each participant worked on four fish cages, and the number of cages has now increased to 12 as the fish have grown larger.
“We each have 12 cages, with between 400 and 500 fish per cage,” he said.
He added that the five of them have begun harvesting yields since the beginning of June when they received requests from customers, especially friends and colleagues.
“I have sold 15 kilogrammes. For instance, today there is a sales event, and customers can go to the fish cages to pick their fish. From there, I aim to increase our sales,” he said.
In terms of marketing, he said it was not a problem because the group had been exposed to various knowledge by UPM instructors, including fish farming and marketing methods.
Overall, he said that IPR-INTAN demonstrates its potential to empower participants and contribute to food security, paving the way for future agricultural entrepreneurs.
In February, Bernama reported that the red tilapia fish species was being used by five participants from the first group of IPR-INTAN for the aquaculture sector at UPM, due to the species’ easy-to-manage, highly resilient, and fast-growing characteristics.
All participants started working in December last year, after attending guidance classes from UPM instructors in September 2023.
Commenting further, Zulkefli, who aspires to own a fish pond and a fish breeding centre, said he wants to take advantage of the knowledge gained from UPM’s teaching staff, which includes exposure to smart agriculture based on the Internet of Things (IoT).
“I am interested in getting into this field (fish breeding) in the future because we already have IoT; there is no need to wait for the fish to spawn. That’s my dream,” said Zulkefli, who previously farmed tilapia and catfish in cages on a small scale by only referring to care guides on social media.
Another participant from the same group, Assahril Azuan Alid, 43, has sold 34 kilogrammes of fish so far and expects sales to increase over time due to encouraging requests from buyers through social media applications.
Perak-born Assahril Azuan, who also wants to own a fish pond, said that the knowledge he has gained and is currently practising should not be wasted. Instead, it should be put into practice by cultivating caged fish on a large scale when the three rounds of breeding at the UPM Fish Hatchery Centre are completed at the end of this year.
“I joined IPR-INTAN due to my deep interest. Before this, I farmed catfish as a hobby. However, when I found out about IPR-INTAN, I applied, and now I am one of the participants, farming caged fish without having to provide capital,” he said.
Meanwhile, UPM deputy vice-chancellor (Industry and Community Relations), Prof Ir Dr Hang Tuah Baharuddin, said that the university has implemented the mandate given by the Ministry of Economy to make IPR-INTAN a success by providing training and locations for participants to carry out modern agricultural activities.
“What we see today (fish cage) is part of the IPR-INTAN project. We want to produce modern farmers and breeders who use the latest technology in producing food sources,” he said.
Sharing the IPR-INTAN module for aquaculture, Hang Tuah said that UPM has set three rounds of breeding to train participants through various scenarios, including failure.
“If one of the rounds fails, at least the participants will learn how to face failure. In farming, we (UPM) do not only teach to farm fish but we want them to have experience and knowledge before venturing into large-scale farming,” he said.
In addition, he said that each participant was also exposed to skills to produce downstream products, such as frozen fish and fish fillets, as added value to existing products, to avoid waste. – Bernama
