PETALING JAYA: Youth participation in the Young Agropreneur Programme (PAM) has recorded a steady increase over the past four years, said Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu.
He said 843 young agropreneurs will benefit from grants in 2025, compared with 704 in 2022.
“A total of 3,123 grants worth RM70.4mil were approved between 2022 and 2025 under the programme,” he added.
“The number of youths aged between 18 and 45 who were awarded grants under PAM showed a consistent upward trend, with 704 participants in 2022, followed by 758 in 2023, 818 in 2024 and 843 in 2025.
“This continuous increase demonstrates that young people’s interest in the agri-food sector is flourishing, driven by the various incentives provided by the government,” he said in a written parliamentary reply published on March 3.
He was replying to a question from Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden (PN–Alor Setar),
who wanted to know the latest statistics on youth participation in PAM from 2022 to 2025, and the main factors behind any decline or stagnation in participation.
PAM provides training as well as in-kind grant assistance to reduce the cost of implementing agricultural projects.
Mohamad said there are two types of grants offered under PAM, namely the Young Agropreneur Grant (GAM) Start-Up of up to RM30,000 and the GAM Scale-Up of up to RM50,000.
“While participation has been growing, the ministry remains vigilant against factors that could slow momentum, including the long-standing perception of agriculture as a 3D (dirty, dangerous and difficult) industry as well as the limited adoption of modern technology,” he said.
To address these challenges and prevent future stagnation, Mohamad said the ministry will roll out the NextGen Agropreneur Programme (PAN) beginning 2026 under the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13).
“Under PAN, two key strategies will be introduced. First, through the NextGen Agropreneur Grant (GAN) Scale-Up category, applicants will be required to adopt modern technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), drones and automation systems.
The second strategy, he said, is to improve access to capital, under which the GAN Start-Up category will set an age limit of up to 43 years and introduce flexible income requirements of below RM5,000, ensuring more youths qualify for assistance.
