KOTA BELUD: The third cohort of the PRUCare Farming Sustainability programme with funding of more than RM500,000 will benefit 100 farmers in the rural area of Kota Belud.
PRUCare Sustainability Farming, established by Prudential Assurance Malaysia Berhad, Prudence Foundation and Hopes Malaysia, aims to empower disadvantaged communities with farming techniques and tools so they could generate a sustainable income source and achieve food security for their families.
Prudential Assurance Malaysia Berhad (PAMB), in a statement Tuesday, said the programme will see the farmers receive training and resources to begin a vegetable and fish farm to improve food self-sufficiency and be given a platform to sell extra produce in the market so they can boost their earnings.
According to the statement, PAMB Chief Human Resources Officer Sally Low, when speaking at the launch of the third cohort of the programme, said sustainability is core to their business, and the company believes this programme will help create a brighter future for the next generation of Malaysians.
“Many local farmers face challenges such as a lack of resources, selling their produce and the impacts of climate change. This programme seeks to address those issues and assist families in Kota Belud in achieving food security and sustainable incomes,” she said.
Low said the company’s purpose is to add value to the wider community, for a more sustainable, responsible and inclusive future, while ensuring sustainable livelihoods for farmers and their families by gradually improving food security and their earnings.
“This gives them the chance to escape the poverty trap and allow them and their children a better future,” she said.
The event also marked the conclusion of the second cohort of the programme. The first cohort started in 2021 and since then, the programme has helped 703 beneficiaries from 98 families boost their income by 68 per cent on average.
The statement said 54 Prudential Wealth Planners volunteered 270 hours to help the farmers prepare their land and set up fishponds.
Nusia Sidi @ Gina, 48, from Kampung Terintidon, here, said her family’s financial situation worsened after the Covid-19 pandemic, when her children returned home from the city.
She said her family’s average household income of RM550 was barely enough for everyone to survive, but with the programme, she has been able to achieve consistent food security with her large monthly harvests, while the sales of her extra fish and crops have boosted her family’s earnings by RM350.
“I have a large family to support and food has become more expensive in Kota Belud. I am very thankful for this programme, for the chance to learn something new even at my age and contribute to my loved ones,” said Gina.
