TANJUNG SEPAT: The Selangor government, through the Selangor Agricultural Development Corporation (PKPS), successfully harvested 118 tonnes of high-quality grain maize crop on Sunday (Jan 21).
State Infrastructure and Agriculture Committee chairman Izham Hashim said it was the first harvest from the crop project launched last year, involving an area of 16.9ha out of a total of 121ha.
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"For the first time in Selangor, grain maize was planted on peat soil. The Selangor Agro Transformation Plan has made this cultivation an important agenda because it is the main ingredient in chicken feed.
"The cost to produce 118 tonnes of grain maize is about RM970 per tonne compared to the RM1,200 per tonne for imported crop (not including transport)," he told reporters after witnessing the first harvest here.
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Also present was PKPS group chief executive officer Dr Mohamad Khairil Mohamad Razi.
Izham said Malaysia imported about four million tonnes of maize a year from foreign countries, therefore, the initiative would be able to reduce dependence on imports as well as having a positive impact on the food supply chain such as lowering the selling price of chicken, especially those sold by PKPS.
Izham said the committee through PKPS also plans to expand the cultivation and will look at the potential of the land around Selangor or in other states.
"This crop has a high demand, besides, the selling price is also high and can give a worthwhile profit," he said.
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Meanwhile, Dr Mohamad Khairil said the second phase plantation was expected to start in March.
"The project that costs about RM4mil, and involves four phases, namely land clearing, infrastructure construction, planting, cultivation, and harvesting, with each harvest cycle lasting between 100 and 115 days.
"PKPS welcomes strategic partnerships. We are committed to increasing the production of grain maize, especially in Selangor, and offer existing technical expertise for commercial cooperation," he said.
He added that PKPS would also open a grain maize collection centre that would have the capacity of storing about 200 tonnes of crop.
On the Jelajah Jualan Ehsan Rahmah (JER) 2024, he said PKPS was targeting a sales value of RM60mil including the RM10mil subsidy offered by the state government. - Bernama
