Iskandar Puteri, Johor, March 23, – The East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC) and the Johor State Government will implement two new projects in Mersing, including a “Dairy Valley” in Jemaluang and the Mersing Homestay Tourism Development in Kampung Air Papan as part of its strategy to further accelerate the socio-economic transformation and uplift the livelihood of the Rakyat in the district.
The development of a dairy farm in Jemaluang is timely and in line with the Government’s aspiration to reduce dependency on imported dairy products and to support the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak’s call in encouraging people to drink fresh milk towards a healthier lifestyle.
Driven by private investments, the project is expected to produce 4 million litres of fresh milk by 2021. It will also create 60 new job opportunities that will benefit the locals, as well as entrepreneurial opportunities for the satellite farmers, replicating the success of ECERDC’s Muadzam Shah Cattle Research and Innovation Centre (MSCRIC) in Pahang.
On the tourism front, ECERDC also plans to develop a national standard homestay programme in Mersing which will be integrated with the “Rainforest to Reef” (R2R) concept. As part of this, the homestay operators in Kampung Air Papan will be provided with training related to the hospitality industry particularly on good management, local ownership and a variety of related activities. Physical developments in Kampung Air Papan will also be developed in line with the “Kampung-stay” concept using the approach of a community-based tourism.
This development will enable the 23 families in the fishing village to improve their livelihood by operating a sustainable business and this will provide spillover benefits to the locals. A Mini Tourism Centre as well as an area for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) activities including handicraft will be built to complement the development in Kampung Air Papan.
“The two projects are part of Mersing’s socio-economic transformation that will continue to benefit the rakyat through greater job and entrepreneurial opportunities. The Jemaluang Dairy Valley project is expected to increase the income level of the Rakyat especially local farmers in the rural area while families from the fishing communities in Kampung Air Papan can earn additional income as part of a spillover benefit from the growing tourism sector in Mersing,” said YBhg. Datuk Seri Jebasingam Issace John, Chief Executive Officer of ECERDC after the ECER Implementation and Coordination Committee (ICC) Johor meeting today.
The ICC Johor meeting was chaired by Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, the Johor Menteri Besar.
Meanwhile, development on the northern part of Mersing will focus on recreational fishing activities and Tanjung Penyabong, which is a popular spot for fishing, will also be promoted as a recreational destination. Moreover, the Marine Ecosystem Research Center that was set up by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia to carry out marine research within the vicinity including the Sultan Iskandar Marine Park are expected to enhance eco- tourism.
Between 2007 and 2017, RM1.61 billion worth of private investments have been attracted into the district resulting in the creation of 1,710 job opportunities for the locals.
Some of the projects kicking off this year to transform Mersing and its islands into a premier tourism and fishing destination under the RMK-11 include the construction of the ‘Pusat Informasi dan Perkhidmatan Taman Laut Sultan Iskandar’ in Pulau Besar which will start in May 2017 and the tourism development in Tanjung Penyabong which will begin in the second quarter of the year.
Furthermore, the completion of upgrade works between Jalan Kampung Kahang and Kampung Peta will further enhance connectivity to the Taman Negara Endau-Rompin, Mersing. This will significantly increase tourist arrivals to the national park while serving as a catalyst to the development of the local socio-economy by improving accessibility for the Orang Asli and the local community.
Another project under RMK-11, the construction of Endau-Mersing Fish Processing Park has also started as part of ECERDC’s effort to strengthen Mersing’s position as a fisheries destination in the region. Once completed, the project will open up employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for the local communities, benefitting more than 3,000 people involved in Mersing’s fisheries industry.
“ECERDC’s holistic transformation in Mersing is also supported by high-impact human capital development programmes which seek to empower the locals. Programmes such as empower ECER, entrepreneur ECER, hospitality management and tourist guide trainings are provided for the locals living in Kampung Air Papan and Tanjung Penyabong. This helps to improve the livelihood of the Rakyat and at the same time, develop the local talent pool in tandem with the growth of the regional tourism sector,” Datuk Seri Issace added.
In terms of human capital development, to date, more than 2,200 locals at Mersing have participated and benefitted from initiatives under ECERDC’s empower ECER programme, including 1,500 students under the Academic Training arm and 600 individuals under the Skills and Entrepreneurship Training. About 93% of all participants are from the Below 40 (B40) category and students under the Academic Training programme have shown 80 and 65 per cent improvement in their UPSR and PT3 exam results respectively.
In fact, during the recent Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination, eight students who were participants of the empower ECER from Mersing, Johor, achieved commendable SPM results of 5As and above.
Nur Syazwani Binti Taib, a student from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Tan Sri Abdul Kadir, Mersing emerged as one of the top students in the district after she earned a straight 9As in the SPM examination. Raised by a single mother after the passing of her father when she was 15 years old, Nur Syazwani said her mother’s struggle to make ends meet became her motivation to excel in her studies.
“As the sole breadwinner of the family, my mother was constantly struggling to make ends meet. Despite the challenges, she always encouraged me to do excel in my studies. As such, I made sure that I gave all my attention during the empower ECER classes which has helped to provide a stepping stone towards achieving my dream of becoming an engineer and hopefully, a better future for my family,” said Nur Syazwani on her hopes of furthering her studies in the field of engineering.
Under the entrepreneur ECER programme, around 152 participants have shown more than 30 per cent increase in their monthly income. The entrepreneurs will be provided with even more business and job opportunities through the upcoming SME and Handicraft Complex that is scheduled to be completed by July this year.