KOTA TINGGI, Oct 11 — The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) is taking a proactive approach to using undeveloped Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) land to support the national food security agenda and boost veterans’ socioeconomic welfare.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the JanaVeteran Programme, in collaboration with Boustead Plantations (BPlant), could carry out this programme.

“We do not want Mindef land with no allocation or development plans to sit idle. Some plots have gone untouched for 10 to 15 years simply because there are no plans yet.

“So we want BPlant to help the country strengthen food security,” he said at a press conference after launching JanaKomuniti at Felda Air Tawar 3 here today.

He said the move would provide job opportunities and income for military veterans while keeping them productive.

“Every year, 5,000 military personnel retire, so one approach is to introduce any veteran interested in agriculture to the programme,” he said.

Mohamad said food security must be given serious attention, as supply shortages or rising food costs could escalate into a national security threat.

He said the situation was similar to haze, which, if prolonged and widespread, could become a non-traditional security threat.

He said the JanaVeteran pilot project began with KayTi ginger cultivation at Ladang Telok Sengat here, and its model guarantees a market for participants, with BPlant buying the produce.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Khaled, who is also the Kota Tinggi MP, aims to make the district the country’s main producer of KayTi ginger, carried out with BPlant through the JanaKomuniti Programme at Felda Air Tawar 3 and Felda Air Tawar 2.

“When this programme succeeds, we will ultimately have a recognisable KayTi ginger product, with Kota Tinggi becoming the nation’s food valley through the cultivation of this ginger,” he said.

The JanaKomuniti Programme is one of BPlant’s corporate social responsibility initiatives, supported by the Kota Tinggi Parliamentary Office, through a clustered fertigation ginger farming project. — Bernama