MD2 Pineapple Project Boosts Income For 3,000 Villagers

KOTA BHARU, April 11 (Bernama) -- A total of 3,000 residents from the Kampung Bukit Kechik Neighbourhood Watch Area (KRT) in Tanah Merah are now reaping the rewards, as their community-grown MD2 pineapples generate around RM13,000 per harvest season.

Bukit Kechik KRT chairman Mohd Noor Hassan said the three-hectare planting project is now a vital economic lifeline for locals, adding that the cultivation area has been split into three zones to ensure year-round pineapple production.

"Every harvest, we rake in about RM13,000 from selling our highly sought-after MD2 pineapples.

"These pineapples go for RM6 a kilo, with each one weighing one to over two kilos," he told the reporter when met at the Eastern Zone Unity Week event in Lembah Sireh today.

He said KRT Bukit Kechik is also branching out to produce pineapple juice and sell the crowns as seeds to boost income, noting that the project also encourages residents to actively participate in group economic activities.

"Most Bukit Kechik residents are farmers, and this initiative is perfectly timed to boost their economic well-being," he said.

Mohd Noor said the project is featured at the three-day Eastern Zone Unity Week, which kicked off on Thursday, to showcase community produce and foster resident cooperation.

The fourth edition of Unity Week, with the theme Bersama Membina Negara Bangsa, will be held across six zones nationwide from this month to June, to promote unity and enhance public understanding of Malaysia’s rich cultural and ethnic diversity.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is expected to officiate the opening ceremony on June 13.

-- BERNAMA