While many have lost their jobs during the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) to curb the spread of the COVID-19 infection,
...a 22-year-old former student of the Jitra Industrial Training Institute (ILP) made the most out of the MCO by offering pesticide spraying service to paddy farmers using drones.
Photo via BERNAMA
According to BERNAMA, Mohd Saifullah Halim from Kampung Paya Nedam said he opted to venture into the business as it proved to be a good income generator.
“It is the right decision on my part which I made after completing my studies. I started with one drone which I bought to be used on an 11-hectare paddy field but soon after I began to get requests from my father’s friends and also the villagers,” he said.
“...and from there, demand started pouring in during the (MCO) period and I bought another drone to expand the service and to cater to the increasing needs of farmers around this area.”
Farmers and villagers were impressed with the efficiency of the drone, as work that would usually take hours to complete, only took Halim’s drone half an hour, and they didn’t even mind paying Halim’s rate of RM12 to RM20 per 0.29 hectare.
The demand for his service was so high that Halim even hired two assistants to help him out.
Photo via BERNAMA
He said, “They prefer spraying using drones because it is more spread out evenly which increases their yields compared to the normal practice of using pumps. For this paddy season, I received requests all the way from Yan and Alor Setar (which is 30 minutes from his village).”
He told BERNAMA that he could make around RM5,000 a month by just spraying pesticides!
Halim has always worked with rice fields, but now there were requests from vegetable farmers for similar services, and he encouraged youths to venture into this untapped market.
How amazing! We can’t wait to see the business grow. All the best, Halim!
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
