IT was no common roadshow to mark the upcoming Merdeka celebrations on Saturday (Aug 31) as the National Kenaf and Tobacco Board (LKTN) also generated awareness about the next best thing in commercial farming kenaf besides instilling the spirit of patriotism.
Led by board chairman Datuk Wan Abdul Rahim Wan Abdullah, the board personnel travelled some 389km via road to spread the joy of Merdeka and about the benefits of growing kenaf, both as a sustainable household greenery and for its commercial appeal.
The roadshow travelled through Perak before reaching Penang recently where the LKTN held an event with their agriculture counterpart – the National Fisheries Development Board (LKIM) – while also visiting tourism haunts here.
Along the way, the convoy also stopped at the Tadika Kemas Batu Gajah pre-school in Tanah Merah, Kelantan to shower the adolescents with hampers and the Jalur Gemilang national flags.
At the LKIM facility in Batu Maung, the board members and officers handed out the flags and later in the evening, both authorities held a football friendly match at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) football pitch.
Wan Rahim later said LKTN will collaborate with LKIM to construct a floating jetty based on the kenaf as one of the composite materials.
“This is one of the many benefits of kenaf which was brought into the country from the African continent some five decades ago,” he told FocusM in an interview.
“In the 1990s, kenaf was recognised as potential alternative fibrous material for the production of panel products such as fibre and particle boards.”
Under the European Union (EU) green regulations, the fisheries sector needs to replace plastic products such as floating pontoons with recycled or plant-based products.
Hence, kenaf is an ideal alternative, according to Wan Rahim who was previously the Kelantan State Legislative speaker from 2004 to 2013.
Multiple uses of kenaf
Kenaf composites are also expanding into the construction sector where its material makes homes lighter and cooler, especially when the world is battling climate change.
Additionally, the LKTN board is also working with a pet food production plant in Sungai Dua, Penang to manufacture pet food for the felines and other household pets.
The one-stop veterinary centre with a clinic for cats also distributes some RM300,000 worth of pet food using kenaf as part of its products every month.
At the moment, Wan Rahim said the board is focusing on five aspects of cultivating the growth of kenaf, especially with its plans to expand into Sabah and Sarawak.
This included expanding the processing of kenaf into fibre composites, animal feed (pet food), bio composites and henwood (which is made from kenaf strong fibre branches).
An eco-friendly plant and product, kenaf is ideally grown in the hottest tropical climate, particularly in the states with the highest humidity such as Kelantan, Pahang, Perlis and Kedah as well as pockets in Penang and Terengganu.
In a related development, Wan Rahim said there is a need to change farmers’ mindset from growing tobacco which is a natural cash crop to kenaf which the agriculture authorities have envisioned as the plant to replace tobacco which is been banned in many countries.
In this regard, the Merdeka roadshow is timely in that it can be part of the process to generate more awareness about the kenaf which can be easily grown and upkept even in households as well as can be harvested easily.
It is with this in mind that the Penang Consumer Protection Association president Datuk K. Koris Atan is fully supporting the notion of replacing tobacco with kenaf although the awareness level remains low.
“It is better than tobacco because it is proven that cigarettes are bad for health,” added Koris. – Aug 27, 2024
