Sipitang, 23 November 2018 – The Ginseng Egg-Laying Chicken Farming Project carried out by Malaysian Bioeconomy Development Corporation (Bioeconomy Corp) under the Bioeconomy Community Development Programme (BCDP) can boost the development of farmers and small entrepreneurs in Sipitang as well as further advance the layer chicken industry in Malaysia. Through this project, members of the Persatuan Kadayan Sabah (PKS) are able to produce about 4,167 eggs daily and have the potential to earn a monthly income of RM5,650 per person.

According to the Deputy Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC) Puan Isnaraissah Munirah binti Majilis, the project received RM300,000 from the MOSTI Social Innovation (MSI) fund to cover the cost of training 10 PKS members and for the construction of a chicken coop. The fund was also used to purchase equipment, 5,000 layer chicks and 30,000 Ginseng Jawa plantlets.

“Most of the participants in this project are conventional farmers or small entrepreneurs and this is their first foray into biotech-based entrepreneurship. Now the participants have the knowledge and skills to produce ginseng chicken eggs and breed their own Ginseng Jawa trees. I hope the achievements of the PKS members from this project will encourage the community around Sipitang to grow their entrepreneurial talents and expand their business culture,” she said when officiating the Handover Ceremony of the MSI 17018 Project today.

Chief Investment Officer of Bioeconomy Corp, Tuan Syed Agil Syed Hashim said that the project also involved University Malaysia Sabah (UMS) who guided and trained the PKS members to raise egg-laying chickens as well as to plant and breed Ginseng Jawa trees. Furthermore, the project’s anchor company, Signal Hill Eco Farm (Signal Hill), has guaranteed a buyback purchase for the ginseng eggs produced by the PKS members through contract farming.

“The collaboration with UMS and Signal Hill in this project will contribute to the growth of Malaysia’s layer chicken industry and help improve the socio-economy and living standards of local communities,” he said during the event. “Currently, 40 BCDP projects are being carried out in various stages, involving almost 3,000 participants. These projects are expected to bring impact to over 13,000 people. We hope the BCDP programme can be implemented across the whole of Malaysia on a bigger scale to benefit more members of the community.”

The Ginseng Egg-Laying Chicken Farming Project is the fifth BCDP project that has received the MSI fund from MESTECC. MSI funds have funded 82 projects in 2015, 77 MSI projects in 2016 and another 32 in 2017.