Strategic Collaboration Between UMP And Agrico For Agricultural Development Qatar In Agricultural Product Development

Kuala Lumpur, January 20 - Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) has ratified strategic cooperative ties with Agrico for Agricultural Development, Qatar (Agrico) which is a supplier for agricultural systems and greenhouse-grown produce in Doha, Qatar. UMP will work together with Agrico in research, product development, commercialisation, and expertise exchange for use in agriculture which will be utilised in Agrico’s greenhouses in Doha, Qatar.

Signing the memorandum of understanding (MoU) today were the Vice-Chancellor of UMP, Prof. Ir. Dr. Wan Azhar Wan Yusoff and Chairman of International Project Development, Agrico Agricultural Development, Qatar, Ahmed Hussain Al-Khalaf, witnessed by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of UMP, Dato’ Sri Ibrahim Ahmad, Ambassador of Qatar in Malaysia, H.E Fahad Mohammed Kafoud, The Director General National Centre for Governance, Integrity  & Anti-Corruption, Prime Minister’s Department, Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed and Cameron Highlands District Officer, Dato' Ishak Md. Napis.   

According to Prof. Ir. Dr. Wan Azhar, UMP welcomes this strategic cooperation with Agrico and hopes that this cooperation can benefit UMP in sharing expertise to meet industry needs in the future, not only within the country but also at an international level. This cooperative bond will certainly elevate UMP’s credibility in leading high-level Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes.

Besides the new formulation that will be developed, this collaboration will involve the exploration of new opportunities for the commercialisation of organic liquid fertiliser with prebiotics named Pre-Pecto, at a large scale. This product has been used by Agrico at a smaller scale, and the results have been outstanding.

“I am highly proud of the results and efforts which have been and currently are being achieved by UMP researchers, Dr. Noormazlinah Ahmad and Dr. Siti Hajar Noor Shaarani who are involved in this cooperation. I hope for many more researchers at UMP will strive to explore further opportunities to cooperate with others on an international level, especially with Islamic countries worldwide,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ahmed Hussain Al-Khalaf said the joining efforts to bring about the first collaboration between the state of Qatar and Malaysia in the area of agricultural technology, with the hopes to establish a sustainable, consistent and quality production of food security for both Malaysia and Qatar. This initiative shall respond to the need to increase bilateral trade and investment  cooperation between the two countries.

UMP is an established and competency-based technical university that specialises in the fields of engineering and technology and it strives to further enhance and strengthen its international linkage. The university has taken various initiatives to add to its educational excellence and has entered into various collaborative arrangements with respectable parties to enrich its academic and research activities.