Remember how our parents used to scold us, saying, “You think money grows on trees ah?” Well, in this case, it actually does!
A couple who’s been selling saplings for RM1 has been able to earn between RM3,000 and RM4,000 per week, all thanks to their persistence and generosity in sharing their knowledge!
In an interview with Harian Metro, 48-year-old Nasarudin Mohamed said he has always dreamt of becoming an entrepreneur in agriculture and he finally made the decision to take the leap of faith a decade ago.
“After working in Johor Bahru for around 10 years to save up (for my business), I went back to my hometown to do some farming,” Nasarudin said, adding that he started off with plants that are usually used by the Malay community in their cooking such as turmeric, chilli, galangal, and a variety of vegetables.
After some time, it occurred to him that no one else plants crops as he does in front of his house, and that’s how he got the idea of selling saplings which could be used for cooking. He did it at the vacant land in front of his house in Kampung Bakat, Terengganu. It wasn’t a big piece of land, but he makes up for it with his readiness to teach others.
“I teach my customers about how to care for the saplings and I devote all my attention to taking care of the plants,” he added. His willingness to share his knowledge soon gained him a steady stream of customers. Besides selling them at his house, he also takes his business to a nearby market where he sells them for RM2 per sapling.
“There are also some vendors who’d buy the saplings from me for RM1 per pot and sell them for RM2. I don’t plan to raise the price because I want everyone to have the chance to make money,” he said.
His wife, 43-year-old Sanidah Bakron said that besides the popular plants, they also sell rare species such as senduduk putih which is beneficial to treat various kind of diseases. “Now, we not only have customers from all over the nation, but we also have customers from foreign countries,” the mother of four said.
If you’re inspired by this couple’s business and wish to venture into agriculture, you should know that at the moment, paddy fields in Terengganu are only enough to sustain 50% of the 1.2 million citizens while cow and chicken farming can only meet 30% of the food security.
“In other words, anyone who ventures into agriculture in this state can be said to have no competition at all,” Dr Azman Ibrahim from the Ministry of Agriculture said.
So guys, if you’ve ever thought of leaving the busy city life, agriculture seems like a pretty good alternative! It also pays pretty well!
This article was first published by Harian Metro, you can read the original story here.
Also read: This 26-Year-Old Undergrad Earns Over RM6,000 a Day Just Selling French Fries!