Kampung Padang Luas Residents Earn RM120,000 Through Crossbred Free-Range Chicken Farming Project

JERTIH, May 13 (Bernama) -- A bold initiative by residents of Kampung Padang Luas Dalam in Besut to venture into crossbred free-range chicken farming has paid off, generating about RM120,000 in income over the past year.

Kampung Padang Luas Dalam Federal Village Development and Security Committee (JPKKP) chairman Mohd Darus Ismail said the project implemented under the Sejati MADANI initiative had also created employment opportunities for villagers.

He said the project began in January last year with a RM100,000 grant from the federal government and involved 13 participants, supported by between four and six workers.

Mohd Darus said the group chose to rear crossbred free-range chickens after identifying strong market potential for the breed, which remains relatively untapped.

“We noticed that most Sejati MADANI applicants in the Besut district at the time were involved in fish and goat farming, so we decided to focus on crossbred free-range chickens, especially after seeing the success of a breeder in Kampung Tembila,” he told Bernama.

He said the project has now entered its fifth production cycle, with each cycle capable of producing about 2,000 chickens.

According to him, the chicken coop built by the participants is divided into five sections, each capable of accommodating 400 chickens raised in stages during every cycle.

“The chickens are reared for about 50 days before being sold at between RM13 and RM14 per kilogramme, generating gross returns of around RM12,000 a month,” he said.

Mohd Darus said the crossbred free-range chickens are supplied to several eateries around Jertih.

He added that demand has become so strong that participants occasionally source additional chicken supplies from private breeders in the Besut area.

However, he acknowledged that the group faced numerous challenges in the early stages, including marketing difficulties and farm management issues.

“At the beginning, I personally had to send chicken supplies to Kuala Lumpur because we did not yet have customers around Besut.

“Now, Alhamdulillah, the chickens we rear are increasingly sought after, especially by local consumers. The proceeds are used as working capital and for workers’ salaries, while part of the profits are channelled back to village management for the benefit of residents, including food aid for those in need,” he said.

Mohd Darus added that if profits continue to grow, more welfare and community programmes could be organised for villagers in the future.

He also said the participants are planning to expand the project by building additional chicken coops to increase production capacity and meet growing market demand.

 -- BERNAMA