A 28-year-old farmer in Malaysia is raking in RM40,000 (or SGD$11,938) per month selling fruits and vegetables in Lojing Highlands, Kelantan, according to Bernama.
The farmer, Chung Chia Kang, started his farming journey by cultivating 1,000 plants in Kampong Keroh in Kuala Krai.
Today, he is farming up to 70 tonnes of vegetables a month, cultivating more than 100,000 bags of fruits and vegetables at his farm, Lojing Farmers Market, selling celery, tomato, cabbage and etcetera.
He sends his produce to wholesalers in Kampong Raja in Cameron Highlands before they get exported to places, including Singapore.
Chung said that he produces about 40 to 70 tonnes of vegetables per month and earned RM40,000 monthly from farming, and added that he is able to do so well today because of his persistence and devotion to the land.
He first developed his interest in farming after taking part in an agricultural programme after finishing the Malaysian equivalent of Singapore’s O Levels, the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).
He attended a programme held by the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (RISDA) of Malaysia, and later received funding from them for his first small scale farm.
His profits grew in the wake of vegetable prices increasing in the market by more than 50% as compared to one or two years ago.