Perlis Aims To Become Largest Fig Producer In Southeast Asia

PADANG BESAR (Perlis, Malaysia) Feb 2 (Bernama) -- Perlis aims to become the largest producer of figs in Southeast Asia. Chief MinisterAzlan Man said the state's 10-hectare fig farm in Chuping Valley here was the largest single commercial farm in the region with a total of 16,000 trees. "We have engaged a local company, FigDirect Sdn Bhd, to be our partner in spearheading and anchoring the project," he told reporters at the IMT-GT: Perlis Superfruits Launching and Memorandum of Agreement Exchange Ceremony here Thursday. He said the farm started operation in December 2016 and the first batch of figs was harvested in April 2017. Apart from that, he said, the farm cultivated other superfruits such as lemon (10 hectares) and gac (five hectares), fruits that were packed with antioxidants, fibre, vitamins and minerals. "The project is a collaborative effort by the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA), Malaysian Agriculture Research and Development Institute (Mardi) and the IMT-GT university network that will undertake the development of a range of superfruits. "More importantly, this project also serves to secure food and nutritional safety goals to support the national plan of action for nutrition," Azlan said. -- BERNAMA