NCIA, UAE's Pure Harvest to develop integrated smart farming tech hub in Chuping

KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 (Bernama) -- Malaysia’s Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) has inked a letter of intent with United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based Pure Harvest Smart Farms to develop a large scale, state-of-the-art integrated smart farming tech hub in the Chuping Agro Valley in Perlis.

The Chuping Agro Valley is part of the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) Agri Economic Zone (NAEZ). 

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the collaboration is in line with the government’s call to modernise and promote smart agriculture as outlined under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP). 

“The collaboration between NCIA and Pure Harvest to leverage each other’s strengths to develop the integrated regional smart farming facility in the NCER Agri Economic Zone (NAEZ) is aligned with the government’s call to modernise and promote smart agriculture as outlined under the 12MP,” he said during his official visit to Dubai, UAE, today.

Echoing Ismail Sabri’s sentiment, NCIA chief executive Mohamad Haris Kader Sultan said the collaboration is also aligned with NCER’s Strategic Development Plan (SDP) 2021-2025.

“It will provide NAEZ with the necessary technology and know-how to become a game-changer to transform the domestic agricultural sector in Malaysia into a modern and sustainable agri-tech industry.

“This would ensure long-term livelihood and quality of life for the local communities, as well as address food security concerns for the country,” he said. 

Pure Harvest specialises in smart farming producing high-value crops at premium quality.

The UAE company aims to invest in NAEZ due to Malaysia being strategically located at the doorstep of the Southeast Asia market.

NAEZ is NCER’s response to the National Agrofood Policy (NAP) which aims to improve the efficiency of its agro-food industry, particularly in terms of driving productivity and competitiveness across the industry value chain.

It is anticipated that the NAP will result in a RM3 billion to RM4 billion increase in the incremental gross domestic product (GDP), creating more than 12,000 jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities as well as reducing imports by RM2.8 billion.

-- BERNAMA