KOTA KINABALU: Farmer and entrepreneur Shahrizal Denci is hoping that the circular economy related to agriculture can be expanded in Sabah.
The 41-year-old from Ranau said the economic model, which helps to minimise waste and maximises resources to protect the environment, is beneficial to various levels of the supply chain in agro-industries.
He said the benefits of the circular economy could be seen since the Covid-19 pandemic when farmers and agro-entrepreneurs relied on each other for a novel product which had helped to reduce waste.
When relating a project which began during Covid-19, Shahrizal, who is one of the co-founders of Bantu Aid, which is a website that connects food donors with volunteers and recipients, said the platform teamed up with agropreneurs to produce a nutritious alternative to regular instant noodles.
"During the pandemic, some quarters resort to giving out instant noodles which are less nutritious.
"During that same time, a lot of farmers were also facing problems with unsold vegetables (due to movement controls ).
"That was when Bantu Aid, AgriData and NutriBah came together to process 'sayur sawi' (mustard greens or mustard leaves) into dried noodles known as 'Mee Bantu'. These noodles contained a lot of nutrients," said Shahrizal, who has 10 years experience as an agropreneur and who also co-founded AgriData.
He said the venture proved how various levels in the business supply chain for the product were able to practice the circular economy. He said such ventures have potential to be monetised.
He said there are many more money-making opportunities in agriculture such as the processing of scraps into compost and fertilisers, among other things.
Shahrizal said the federal government and an overseas non-governmental organisation are allocating funds for a collaboration between Bantu Aid, Tanjung Aru Marine Ecosystem Centre (TAME) and Sabah Social Entrepreneurs Association (SOSEA) to promote farming.
He said hydroponic farming will be introduced because it saves up to 95 per cent of water and is suitable for city folk to grow their own vegetables.
"By having the people in the city embark on this journey, it would help to reduce the selling costs based on the business-to-consumer (B2C) instead of business-to-business (B2B) approach.
"This will guarantee our food security in the long-term."