BOTA, Aug 14 — Determined to break free from the shackles of poverty, mother of three Mariyaton Kaftiah Yusof has turned adversity into an opportunity, building a thriving business producing traditional local snacks at Felcra Nasaruddin Belia here.
When the Movement Control Order (MCO) brought economic uncertainty in 2020, the 57-year-old chose to make the most of what she had. She began cultivating torch ginger and other local herbs and vegetables on a plot of land behind her house.
Finding it difficult to sell her produce, she then turned to innovation, transforming torch ginger into serunding (floss) and developing other snacks from locally sourced ingredients. Today, those homemade creations have made their way into overseas markets.
“To me, independence is about being free from colonisation. As an entrepreneur, I believe championing our own products is another way of expressing that spirit of independence,” she told Bernama when met recently.
Starting the business with just RM500, she now generates monthly sales of around RM6,500, according to data provided by Felcra.
Recalling how the product came about, Mariyaton Kaftiah said she carried out eight rounds of research and trials with her husband and children to reduce the bitterness of the garlic and achieve the right balance of spices and anchovies before putting the product on the market.
“After that, I let my friends taste it, and they said, ‘okay’. Then I tried to market it. I did more research because it was not easy to develop the product to what it is today. I conducted various tests, including how long the product could last,” she said.
Besides torch ginger serunding, she also produces various other products, including tapioca shoot serunding, petai serunding, chayashoot serunding, bitter gourd crisps, salang leaf crisps and popia simpul kasih.
Her business, marketed through social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook and TikTok live streams under the account @mariafelcra_, has also improved her family’s standard of living by providing a stable income.
Mariyaton Kaftiah said her products are now targeted not only at consumers in Seri Iskandar and Manjung but have also made their way into Mesra Petronas and Shell outlets, as well as through registered agents nationwide.
More significantly, she said her torch ginger serunding has been taken up by Felcra Berhad under its Sambal Street initiative for international distribution in Brunei, Singapore and Dubai.
“I never dreamed of going that far. If possible, I just wanted to sell within the Felcra Nasaruddin Belia area. But now my products have made their way overseas. I just came back from Singapore, I was in Brunei last month, and before that, Dubai,” she said.
On business management, shesaid she prioritises hiring Malaysians as a way of contributing to the country while helping them earn an income.
“Give priority to Malaysians because many of our friends are unemployed. Why not give them jobs? Why should we give the jobs to foreigners?” she said.
Meanwhile, Perak Felcra Perak participant development manager Mohd Anuar Hanip said Mariyaton Kaftiah is one of 11 entrepreneurs receiving guidance from the agency at Felcra Nasaruddin Belia, out of 198 entrepreneurs in Perak.
He said Felcra remains committed to providing comprehensive support, including business premises development, machinery financing and assistance in obtaining halal certification, to enhance the competitiveness of rural entrepreneurs.
“Among the assistance Felcra can provide to entrepreneurs under its guidance is, first, business premises worth up to RM50,000.
“Second, we have what is known as the Rural Entrepreneurship Empowerment Scheme (SPKLB), for which we receive an allocation from the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development, amounting to RM6,000. There is also a Participant Affairs allocation of RM5,000 to Felcra entrepreneurs,” he said.
He said business records showed that Mariyaton Kaftiah had received various grants from Felcra Berhad, including a signboard grant in 2018, a business premises grant in 2025 to build a workshop and acquire a cutting machine, and a rural industry grant in 2026 for an oil dryer and retort machine.
Continuous guidance and the provision of processing infrastructure by the agency have proven to be key catalysts in transforming rural microbusiness, enabling it to establish a presence in international markets, he added.
Members of the public interested in Mariyaton Kaftiah’s snack products can contact her at 019-5780132. — Bernama
