Entrepreneurship Development in Malaysia
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Agriculture is Business. The call is clear and strong, reflecting Malaysia's aspiration to turn agriculture into the third engine of growth and to make the country self-sufficient in food by 2010. This programme adopted by successful agropreneurs in the process of transformation from farmer to agropreneur is the creation of more added values to the products in terms of improvement in nutritional contents and taste.
The transformation process is set to modernize and create business opportunities throughout the entire value chain in agriculture and food production sector including the related supporting industries. Business activities in agriculture involve production of primary products, downstream or processed products, byproducts and waste utilization as well as activities in the supporting businesses, such as packaging, transportation, marketing, supply of inputs and machineries.
In these papers we will try to perceive the issues, challenges and prospects of Agropreneurs development when they moving away from the small, traditional, low technology, low productivity subsistence farming into larger scale, capital intensive and modern commercial operations.
2.0 ISSUES
With such opportunities and the Government's strong support, the immense potential in agribusiness certainly needs a new breed of business oriented farmers or agropreneurs who will be able to carry out their farming or food production activities as a business and on a commercial basis. Towards this end, various programmes have been implemented to develop these agropreneurs from the existing farming population as well as those without agricultural background but having strong interest and capability. The programmes, implemented and giving more focus on the business and human capital development.
2.1 Purposes of developing Agropreneurs:
Socio-economic development programmes aimed at improving the economic status of the rural population involved in agriculture has been one
Agriculture is Business. The call is clear and strong, reflecting Malaysia's aspiration to turn agriculture into the third engine of growth and to make the country self-sufficient in food by 2010. This programme adopted by successful agropreneurs in the process of transformation from farmer to agropreneur is the creation of more added values to the products in terms of improvement in nutritional contents and taste.
The transformation process is set to modernize and create business opportunities throughout the entire value chain in agriculture and food production sector including the related supporting industries. Business activities in agriculture involve production of primary products, downstream or processed products, byproducts and waste utilization as well as activities in the supporting businesses, such as packaging, transportation, marketing, supply of inputs and machineries.
In these papers we will try to perceive the issues, challenges and prospects of Agropreneurs development when they moving away from the small, traditional, low technology, low productivity subsistence farming into larger scale, capital intensive and modern commercial operations.
2.0 ISSUES
With such opportunities and the Government's strong support, the immense potential in agribusiness certainly needs a new breed of business oriented farmers or agropreneurs who will be able to carry out their farming or food production activities as a business and on a commercial basis. Towards this end, various programmes have been implemented to develop these agropreneurs from the existing farming population as well as those without agricultural background but having strong interest and capability. The programmes, implemented and giving more focus on the business and human capital development.
2.1 Purposes of developing Agropreneurs:
Socio-economic development programmes aimed at improving the economic status of the rural population involved in agriculture has been one
References: |http://www.mpc.gov.my/files/Agropreneurs.pdf (Search Engine at 3 August 2009) | |http://www.sedc.com.my/index.php/programmes/agropreneurs-development- | |programme- (Search Engine at 3 August 2009) | |http://www.mrac.ca/index.cfm/fuseaction/prj.details/ID/093A2DDB-0A4B-2E8B-4F8E9FC520249D11/index.cfm (Search Engine at 1 August | |2009) | | |