Ageing farmers' group needs 'fresh blood'

Penampang: Youths here have been urged to get actively involved in Farmers' Organisation (FO) so they can replace current leaders, many of whom are over 60.Board of Directors Chairman of the District Farmers' Organisation, Alban Mansali, said the body needs to groom young people who will be able to take over leadership roles in the near future.

"At the moment, most of us are over the age of 60. So I'm calling all youths in the district to come forward and be part of us," he said after chairing the annual meeting of the Farmers' Organisation unit of Kg Putaton, recently.

The FO, established under the 1973 (Act 109) Famers' Organisation Act, is an institute owned by the farmers.

Its objective is to improve the socio-economic standard of its members and to create a progressive, independent, prosperous and integrated farming community.

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Among the role of FO is to improve the productivity of farmers through the provision of services, enhance the rapid growth of the agricultural sector through restructuring of agriculture.

In addition, FO role is also to enhance business and investment growth in agriculture, improving the socio-economic status and the quality of life for the farmers and to balance the agro-industrial development in the rural areas.

In relation to this, Alban informed FO members in the village that the National Farmers' Organisation (Nafas) if offering to support their children to study in a university following a memorandum of understanding signed with University Kuala Lumpur.

Under the agreement, farmers' children with a minimum of three Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) credits are eligible to apply for a place in the university that is offering more than 10 diploma courses. Alban said the first intake will be in March this year.

He also informed that Nafas is offering a one-off fund amounting RM5,000 to every successful applicant and subsequently assist in securing a study loan.

In addition to this, Alban said FO members can also invest in the National Farmers' Fund or Dana Peladang Kebangsaan (DPK) that offers attractive annual investment returns. The minimum investment he said is only RM100.

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He urged members to treat the fund as one of their passive income options.

He said there are approximately 2,500 FO members in the district of which 48 are from Kg Putaton. - Leonard Alaza

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