PORT DICKSON, March 8 (Bernama) — The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) intends to turn agribusiness into a more attractive, career choice using the latest trends, especially through the use of technology in line with the Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0).
KPKM deputy minister, Chan Foong Hin said this would foster an interest in farming among the younger generation as well as turn it into a highly regarded profession and ensure the country’s food security.
“Among KPKM’s directions this year is to rejuvenate the agricultural sector because we are now experiencing a challenge where padi farmers are getting older. Therefore, to attract the interest of young people in this field we should encourage the use of modern technology in agriculture,” he told reporters.
“They (younger generation) do not like using ‘cangkul’ (hoes), nor working in the sun so they can use drones. There is no issue of not having technology, it already exists in Malaysia, for example drones, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. Everything is already there, it is just how the farmer wants to adapt to the modern way of cultivation,” he told reporters.
He said this after officiating at the National Agricultural and Food Engineering Convention (NAFEC) 2023, organised by the Malaysian Society of Agricultural and Food Engineers (MSAE) and Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) which will take place here from today.
He said therefore, the ministry was undertaking various efforts towards this direction and this includes organising conventions such as NAFEC, the Malaysian Agriculture, Horticulture and Agro Tourism Exhibition (MAHA) and Young Agropreneur Tour as well as the offer of low-interest loans by Agrobank.
In the meantime, Chan said that in line with the development of the latest wireless communication technology such as 5G, it can also contribute towards the empowerment of smart agriculture which allows users to learn new and up-to-date agricultural knowledge virtually.
Meanwhile, he said NAFEC can be used as a platform to spread awareness, information, technology, and expertise to the community and support the government’s policy in making the agro-food sector a major contributor to the gross domestic product.
He said that it is also in line with the main thrust of the National Agro-Food Policy 2021-2030 (DAN 2.0) which emphasises the importance of applying the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technology through modernisation and smart agriculture to increase the productivity of the country’s agricultural products.
“The agricultural engineering field needs to be emphasised in order to remain relevant in the development of the country’s agro-food sector through the adaptation of the latest technology, especially the application of smart agriculture and 4IR technology,” he said.
NAFEC is an MSAE initiative since 2018 with various agencies including academics, legal practitioners and industry parties among others to discuss the latest technology, needs and problems of the agriculture and food industry.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency