IPOH, Nov 30 — The Perak government, through the state agriculture department, has allocated RM3.1 million for the "Kebun Kita” campaign as an effort to empower agricultural activities in communities.

Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said the campaign will target 7,657 individuals and 147 communities in the state.

"Every community will involve 10 participants, with a total of 1,470 community participants. This will bring the total number of participants for the campaign to 9,127 people.

"If a household has four people this means that the programme will benefit over 36,508 people in the state,” he said after officiating an urban agriculture promotional plot near the Perak Mentri Besar’s residence here today.

He said under the campaign, individual participants are given supplies including pots, vegetable seeds such as spinach, chili, okra and kangkung, fertiliser and soil, planting equipment and manuals while community participants are supplied with a fertigation system set, fertiliser, soil, planting boxes and other gardening supplies.

Saarani said the campaign aims to encourage citizens in the state to plant vegetables and fruits in their backyard.

"With the drastic rise in vegetable prices, I do encourage Perak citizens to plant vegetables at home, if not for sale then for their own use.

"It wasn’t so hard for us to find vegetables in the past because there would be lemongrass, curry leaves available in our yards.

"So, now we have to do so again so there won’t be demand to obtain vegetables from abroad as we can supply ourselves,” he added. — Bernama