KPKM LAUNCHES TWO GRANTS TO ASSIST YOUNG AGROPRENEUR TO START, EXPAND AGRICULTURAL PROJECTS

PUTRAJAYA, Sept 18 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) today launched Start-Up and Scale-Up Grants to help young people in the agriculture and agro-food sector reduce start-up costs and expand agricultural projects.

Its deputy minister Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup in a statement said the Start-Up Grant is an improvement on the Young Agropreneur Grant offered by the ministry earlier.

He said through the new grant, the value of aid in kind was increased to RM30,000 compared to RM20,000 previously, Besides, the age limit which used to be from 18 to 40 years is now increased to 43 years.

Meanwhile, the Scale-Up Grant was introduced to support agropreneurs who remain active and viable in the agro-food sector, especially in upstream projects such as crops, livestock and fisheries.

"Through the initiative, KPKM provides extended assistance of up to RM50,000 to young agropreneurs who have received the Young Agropreneur Grant to develop agricultural projects," he said.

Arthur said the Scale-Up Grant is open to applications by agropreneurs aged 21 to 45 to fund the use of agrotechnology such as Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), urban agriculture as well as Internet of Things (IoT) technology and artificial intelligence.

He said a total of 9,754 young agropreneurs have been approved for grants with an in-kind value of RM178.5 million so far.

"The incentive assistance provided is one of KPKM's efforts to rejuvenate the agricultural sector and indirectly to continue to ensure that the national security agenda can be achieved," he said.

More information about the two grants as well as the Young Agropreneur Programme can be found on the official website of the ministry at www.kpkm.gov.my.

-- BERNAMA