PUTRAJAYA: Eight non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were allocated RM1.8 million last year to provide agricultural training to Indians, especially youth and single mothers.
Socioeconomic Development of Indian Community Unit (Sedic) director-general Professor Datuk Dr N.S. Rajendran said more Indian youth, including university graduates, were keen to venture into agriculture these days.
“Sedic and the Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries Ministry want to give more opportunity to Indians aged between 18 and 49 to get involved in agriculture, including through the provision of funds and training,” he said at the closing of the Agro with Indian Community programme here.
“We allocated the funds to eight NGOs to run programmes for the target group nationwide and they are still ongoing.
“Indian youth tend to venture into fields such as dairy, farming and agro-based industries.”
The ministry’s deputy secretary-general (policy) Datuk Mohd Sallehhuddin Hassan said: “About 70 per cent of our farmers are aged 40 and above, so we want more young people in this area. “They need to focus on high-tech farming.”
The ministry’s Young Agropreneur and National Blue Ocean Strategy Unit director Sukairi Samsudin said, since 2014, more than 5,000 youth had gone into agriculture through the unit.
“We provided funds up to RM50,000 under the National Entrepreneurial Group Economic Fund, and between RM50,000 and RM200,000 under Agro Bank.
He said the unit also gave grants, in the form of goods worth up to RM20,000, to participants.