The National Farmers Association (NAFAS) plans to implement the second phase of the expansion of its fertiliser plant,Petronas Fertiliser Kedah (PFK) in Gurun, to meet increasing demand.
NAFAS chairman, Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman said the plant expansion is currently being finalised and is expected to be implemented in the near future.
He said PFK had the capacity to produce 310,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser annually but was producing only 270,000 metric tonnes at present.
"The expansion will almost double the production capacity of PFK," he told reporters after closing a leadership course for children of farmers and the launch of the technical and executive scheme for farmers children(ATTES) at the EDC-UUM here last night.
NAFAS through its subsidiary, Malaysian NPK Fertiliser Sdn Bhd (MNFSB), owns a 80 per cent stake in PFK, while the remaining 20 per cent is held by Petronas Fertilizer Sdn Bhd (PFK). The company is a subsidiary of Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas).
PFK is also the largest producer of fertiliser in South East Asia and is set over 29.14 hectares (72 acres), Abdul Rashid said, while adding, just 30 per cent of the total area, has yet to be developed.
He however declined to state the cost of the plant expansion.
"The aim of the project is to produce quality fertiliser at a competitive price to aid farmers," he said.
Meanwhile, the ATTES is specifically to assist university graduates in the technical field related to agriculture, with the aim of giving them useful experience.
Abdul Rashid said NAFAS had allocated RM200,000 to undertake the pioneer scheme from January next year and it would involve 20 graduates who would be paid a monthly allowance of RM1,200 to attend training for a year.
