SERDANG: The agro-food sector provides wide business opportunities and prospects for young people, said Bank Pertanian Malaysia Bhd (Agrobank) chief development officer Aminuddin Amenon.

He said since the demand for agro-food products is high, involvement of the young people in the sector is important and they should take advantage of the business opportunities available.

"For example in poultry farming, where chicken is now a necessity and a source of protein for most households in Malaysia, it requires workers, especially the young people.

"With their (young people's) involvement, it can also help in efforts to improve food security and stabilise price by reducing our dependence on imported food," he said.

Aminuddin said this when met at the Agro Youth Cluster exhibition site held in conjunction with the 2022 Malaysian Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism Exhibition (MAHA) at MAEPS Serdang since last Aug 4.

Aminuddin said the lack of experience and business capital, in addition to the uncertainty of income and the long time taken before they can enjoy the results, like profit, are among the challenges for the young people to venture into the sector.

Realising these challenges, he said, Agrobank provides financing through the Agro-Youth Entrepreneur Scheme (AGRO-YES) 2.0. to help make the agro-food industry a career for young entrepreneurs.

"Through this scheme, Agrobank allocates a total of RM50 million to provide financing worth RM50,000 up to RM500,000 with a maximum financing period of up to 8.5 years," he said.

Apart from that, Agrobank also provides business advisory services through the Agropreneur Centre of Excellence to help entrepreneurs get financial and management guidance in making their business a success, he added.

The public can visit the Agro Youth Cluster exhibition site at Hall C, MAEPS Serdang during MAHA 2022 to get more information on the facilities.

Various interesting activities are also organised, including virtual reality video games, sales of agro-food products by young entrepreneurs and live knowledge sharing sessions.

-- BERNAMA