Ten individuals with disability were presented with Terengganu sweet melon (MMT) planting kits after they have successfully completed a short-term course organized by Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT)’s researcher.

Crop science researcher at the Faculty of Fisheries and Food Science, UMT, Ts. Dr. Wan Zaliha Wan Sembok, said the knowledge transfer project is part of UMT’s ongoing effort to help vision impaired community generate a side income.

“Seeing the hardship and challenges they face to carry on with their lives, we worked with several agencies and NGOs to establish the Blind Planters project to help them generate their own income within the constraints of their ability and movement.

“We introduced a braille module of MMT planting method to them to facilitate the transfer of theoretical knowledge.

She said each participant was assisted by the family members when the planting activities took place at each participant’s location.

According to Dr. Zaliha, the pioneer project managed to produce 150 melons with an estimated return of RM1500.

“An average weight of each melon is 1.3 kg. Each melon season lasts three months and an average side income total is RM500 a month.

She added that the initiative is a continuation from a knowledge transfer project series that have been implemented to improve the quality of life of the B40 group.

“We have carried out various other projects and managed to change the economic level of the target groups. These projects include hydroponic vegetable farming, and farming of mushrooms, tomatoes, cherries, strawberries, salad and others.

Meanwhile, Chairman of Terengganu’s Society of the Blind (SBM) Mohd Imranfaisal Zulkifli expressed his gratitude towards the assistance provided by UMT and other agencies involved.

“Alhamdulillah, thank you to UMT for sharing the knowledge with people like us. We are still able to plant sweet melons with help from family members. We also thank Hasanah Foundation for the financial contribution totaling RM250,000 for the preparation of sweet melon planting kits and we will try our best to improve our quality of life,” he said.

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Corporate Communications Office
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu