GOPENG: The Perak Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) says it is optimistic that its RM1mil sales target will be achieved through the opening of the Keluarga Malaysia Direct-From-Farm Sale (JTDLKM) programme in 100 locations by the end of December.

State Fama director Noorsham Ramly said the programme was currently being implemented in 53 locations involving 194 entrepreneurs, with cumulative sales amounting to RM571,250.

“We are confident of achieving the set (sales) target, considering public demand through the programme, especially in rural areas such as Teluk Intan, Lenggong and several other areas can be seen to be very encouraging.

“This is because the programme gives consumers the choice to get their daily supply of necessities such as fish, vegetables, fruits and food products at prices 5% to 10% lower than the market price,” he said when met by reporters after attending the JTDLKM programme at the Gopeng Rural Transformation Centre (RTC) on Sunday (Aug 28).

On July 1, Deputy Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Hamzah was reported to have said that the JTDLKM programme conducted nationwide was expected to generate sales of up to RM10.5mil and benefit some 420,000 consumers.

Noorsham said the programme would indirectly widen the market for entrepreneurs in the agriculture, fisheries, and plantation sectors which would also generate more income for them.

In another development, Perak Fisheries Department director Noraishah Hashim said the state was among the major suppliers of freshwater and brackish water fish in Malaysia with an estimated output of almost 45,000 tonnes a year.

She said that to increase the amount of production, five million fish seedlings would be released in public waters by the Fisheries Department throughout this year. – Bernama