MELAKA: Pakatan Harapan sees potential to strengthen the state’s agriculture sector by encouraging greater participation among young people, in line with the coalition’s aspirations under its Aspirasi Melaka Rumah Kita manifesto.
Melaka PH chairman Adly Zahari said this could be achieved by cultivating idle land for agricultural activities, which would also help improve the people’s socioeconomic well-being.
“The Pakatan Harapan Election Department is highlighting efforts to make use of idle land for economic activities and modern agriculture through Aspirasi Melaka Rumah Kita.
“The 2024 Agriculture Census by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) recorded 77,965 hectares of cultivated land in Melaka.
“This shows that the state’s existing agriculture sector has a foundation that can be strengthened by bringing suitable areas into cultivation, improving water resource management and adopting technology to increase yields,” he said at PH’s daily press conference at its main operations room here today.
He said the census also found that more than 55 per cent of individual agricultural holders in the state were aged 60 and above.
Adly, who is also Amanah vice-president, said greater youth participation was needed to revitalise the agriculture sector in Melaka, increase the state’s food supply and reduce reliance on agricultural products from outside the state.
He said much land remained uncultivated, particularly in the Alor Gajah district, including Masjid Tanah, and could be put to agricultural use.
“If we look at the situation, much of the uncultivated land is in areas such as the Alor Gajah district, including Masjid Tanah.
“This land can be put to agricultural use, particularly for short-term crops such as chillies.
“That is why, when PH previously administered Melaka, we cultivated almost 30 acres (12 hectares) of land belonging to Yayasan Melaka for cash crops,” he said.