AHMAD Zahid Hamidi has called on departments and agencies under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry to step up efforts to end rural poverty by ensuring the effectiveness of every plan and programme being carried out for rural populations.

The deputy prime minister said more efforts are needed in line with the target set by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in eradicating hardcore poverty at all levels.

“I hope the ministry’s agencies will work on this. The poor in urban areas must not be ignored. However, let other agencies handle that.

“We must implement and achieve the target set by the prime minister,” he said in his speech at the ministry in Putrajaya today.

Zahid also advised the ministry’s staff to implement programmes that have been planned and to ignore criticism of anti-establishment groups.

“These anti-establishment groups are everywhere. They must have something to oppose and will never stop even when something good emerges,” he said.

Meanwhile, Zahid urged two of the ministry’s agencies, namely Felcra Bhd and South Kelantan Development Authority (Kesedar) to improve their existing collaboration to produce one million broilers per cycle compared to the current 250,000.

“I challenge this collaboration to produce one million chickens every production cycle. It can definitely be done, but they need to find a way to do it,” he said.

Earlier, Felcra and Kesedar took the initiative to collaborate to develop a poultry farming project in Paloh 4, Gua Musang with a capacity of 250,000 broilers per cycle. 

The project generates various local economic activities such as service and maintenance, landscaping, supply chain, construction, contract jobs and so forth. – Bernama, July 6, 2023.