SERDANG – The Pendeta Za’ba College (KPZ), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), in collaboration with the Centre of Entrepreneurial Development and Graduate Marketability (CEM), UPM, has carried out a chilli cultivation project under the Agriculture Sustainability Programme - Student Entrepreneurship Incubator.
For starters, the project had already planted 1,000 chilli trees.
UPM KPZ principal, Dr. Mohd Hafiz, said the Kulai chillies, which were 45 HST (days after planting), are now marketed with the concept of ‘fresh to customers’. Pre-orders will be received before the chillies are picked, with the total harvest up to 100kg.
“This project has fully utilised the KPZ land, and it is hoped that KPZ will develop more agricultural sustainability projects while taking into account that KPZ has more suitable land which is free from any activities,” he said.
He added that the capital injection of RM5,000 from KPZ for tool support and a RM10, 000 project grant from CEM made it possible for them to realise their dreams of being involved in agriculture.
“The Kulai chilli project is carried out in the KPZ land next to UPM SUKSIS office, which was once an area filled with grass used as a car park. It has now been transformed into a view with rows of dense chilli trees”.
HI Agro Ent. consisted of UPM students, Mohd Hakeem Mohd Ibrahim, Muhammad Amin Abdullah Azhar, Balqis Mohamad, Muhamad Azeem Abdul Mubin and Mohd Syafiq Syazwan Rosli, who initiated the project in July 2021.
Apart from direct selling, HI Agro Ent. had also marketed pickled chillies as downstream products. All the fresh products and processes involved are marketed under the KPZ Fresh brand.
Meanwhile, UPM Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Affairs and Alumni), Prof. Dr. Arifin Abdu, said the project was held to respond to UPM being the leader in high technology agriculture.
“This method kills two birds with one stone. It not only encourages students to get involved in agriculture but also develops the potential of graduates to be entrepreneurs, to comply with the concept of graduates as job creators,” he added.
Similar projects as such will be developed through CEM under the DVC’s office (HEPA), UPM, as the leader. – UPM
