Kuala lumpur: The Permanent Food Production Park (TKPM) project is one of the initiatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) to attract the interest of youth to venture into agriculture. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Chan Foong Hin said the project is a collaboration between the federal government and the state government to enable the younger generation to apply for agricultural land.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, there are currently nine TKPMs in the state of Johor, with a total of 76 projects across the nation. This initiative allows youth interested in planting and raising livestock to access land in a more organized manner. Chan highlighted this while responding to a supplementary question from Senator K. Saraswathy in Dewan Negara.

The ministry is confident that this move can support the agenda of building a highly skilled agricultural workforce and young agri-entrepreneurs, thereby contributing to increasing the productivity of the country's agro-food sector. Chan also mentioned that the ministry is coordinating with various ministries and agencies to identify potential land for agricultural development, aligning with efforts to expand opportunities for the young.

He advised the youth to keep an eye on the websites and social media of their respective state agriculture departments, as land application opportunities are frequently announced to the public.

In a separate session, Chan urged rice farmers to report any manipulation in the padi weight deduction system by manufacturers or buyers. He assured that immediate intervention will be taken against parties who deliberately affect the income of rice farmers through unhealthy competition or by giving remuneration to certain parties, which impacts the padi deduction rate.

"The padi deduction system should be based on 'rice check'. If the benefits of rice farmers are compromised due to business dynamics, please report to the ministry," Chan said. He was responding to Senator Baharuddin Ahmad's concerns regarding manipulation in the padi weight deduction system, which does not align with the rice farmers' income, believed to be due to the remuneration given by millers to lorry drivers affecting the deduction rate.