AS the country’s leading producer of several major food crops, Johor aims to further strengthen its agro-based industry (IAT) by turning produce into higher-value products, brands and businesses.
State agriculture, agro-based industry and rural development committee chairman Md Israk Abdullah said the focus should not merely be on increasing agricultural production but also strengthening downstream industries to create greater value from the state’s agricultural output.
“Johor is the country’s number one producer of fruits, industrial crops and herbs, while it ranks second for vegetables and cash crops.
“We contributed 17.3% to the country’s agricultural gross domestic product last year, the highest among all states,” he said when launching Agro-based Industry Exhibition in Johor Baru.
“From the produce, we want to see products, brands and value.
“This means entrepreneurs need to strengthen areas such as product quality, packaging, production capacity, recognised certification and marketing strategies to keep pace with changing consumer preferences locally and internationally.”
He said IAT statewide recorded RM517mil in sales involving close to 1,800 registered entrepreneurs last year under the guidance of Johor Agriculture Department.
Md Israk said Johor government also aimed to help entrepreneurs move beyond small and medium-scale operations and gain access to digital platforms, modern retail as well as domestic and international markets.
He said the state Agriculture Department had allocated RM4.1mil this year to directly benefit 130 IAT entrepreneurs.
The grants are to help them upgrade in terms of food-processing workshops, equipment, hardware and technology, product packaging and labelling design, including nutritional analysis, he said.
It also covers assistance for systems, equipment and technology based on the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence at business premises.
