BAGAN DATUK: The Cabinet has agreed to restructure the Malaysian Cocoa Board to include coconuts, says Deputy Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Ahmad Zahid, also the Minister of Rural and Regional Development, said the restructuring would not require additional expenses or new positions.
“This (restructuring) is an approach where we aim to avoid waste, utilising existing resources to harness the benefits of coconuts not only in Bagan Datuk but also across the country, including the west and east coasts as well as Sabah and Sarawak.
“Insya-Allah, we will realise the cooperation of all parties. We should not work in silos when promoting any product, especially those that can generate extra income for rural folk,” he said.
The Bagan Datuk MP spoke to reporters after today’s closing ceremony of the ‘Malaysia MADANI, UNISEL Depani’ Open Day tour and Kelapa Fest Bagan Datuk 2024 at Dataran Waterfront Bagan Datuk.
Ahmad Zahid said the restructuring exercise might not be widely publicised, adding that he will personally inquire about the extent to which the Cabinet’s decision has been implemented and the new name for the board with the relevant minister.
He said there are currently around 215,000 heads of households directly involved as coconut smallholders across the country.
Commenting on today’s programme, Ahmad Zahid said the ministry is committed to organising similar programmes each year in the first week of October.
“We will collaborate with UNISEL (Universiti Selangor) and agrotourism associations, as well as involve the Bagan Datuk Member of Parliament Office to host this programme.
“Next year, we will expand the participation…besides UNISEL and agrotourism associations, (we will also include) entrepreneurs in the coconut industry in this Kelapa Fest,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also the chairman of the National Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Council, announced UNISEL as the sixth university in the Malaysian Technical University Network (MTUN), joining Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah, and Universiti Kuala Lumpur. – Bernama