The programme, a collaboration between Boustead Plantations Bhd (BPlant) and the veteran affairs department, focusses on agri-entrepreneurship through a ginger and chilli fertigation project.

In a Bernama report, defence minister Khaled Nordin highlighted the initiative’s potential to help veterans generate income and contribute to strengthening Malaysia’s food security.

Under the ginger and chilli fertigation programme, BPlant will provide a 105-hectare plot for cultivation, with 80 hectares for ginger and 25 hectares for chillies.

The initial phase of the programme will involve 100 veterans managing the cultivation, with each participant potentially earning RM3,000 monthly.

He said the pilot project would kick off in Kota Tinggi, Johor, with 15 veterans working on a 12-hectare plot with the goal of producing 3,500 tonnes of ginger and 350 tonnes of chillies annually within three years.

Additionally, a veteran agri-entrepreneur programme aims to transform retired military personnel into agricultural entrepreneurs by cultivating cash crops listed in the National Food Security programme.

BPlant has identified 300 hectares of land for this initiative.

Khaled made the announcement during the defence ministry’s breaking-fast event in Kuala Lumpur, which was attended by top ministry officials and military chiefs.