Fancy a RM15,000 sheep?

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

PEKAN: The sweltering heat did not stop 50 bidders from participating in the auction of 435 Pekan Dorper sheep in Runchang near here -- a history of sorts as this was the first ever held for the breed in the country.

When the first lot of 10 breeding rams was auctioned, enthusiastic bidders tried to outdo each other by offering triple the RM4,500 floor price -- a whopping RM14,900.

By noon, all the sheep were sold to the highest bidders, with the total collection standing at RM265,550.

"This is beyond our expectations. It shows that local breeders appreciate the quality of Dorper sheep reared under the Pekan Agropolitan project, which is part of East Coast Economic Region (ECER) initiatives," said ECER Development Council chief executive officer Datuk Jebasingam Issace John.

The Pekan Agropolitan Project was launched by Prime Minister and Pekan member of parliament Datuk Seri Najib Razak in August last year to help 1,100 participating families -- hardcore poor and the Orang Asli -- to earn a steady monthly income of between RM1,000 and RM2,000.

For a start, 30 Orang Asli participants joined the project in Runchang, which is near to their settlement scheme.

Jebasingam said the pilot project in Runchang had successfully doubled its Dorper sheep population to almost 2,000 from the initial 1,000 brought from Australia.

"The success of this pilot project will lead to the total development of 250 Animal Production Units (APUs), with 25,000 Dorper sheep expected in the next four years."

Present were Felda general manager Datuk Dzulkifli Abd Wahab and Pekan district officer Datuk Abdul Basik Mohd Sah.

Dzulkifli said Felda and the Veterinary Services Department were given the task to assist the development council in implementing the project as both had the experience and expertise in sheep rearing.

He said each APU had 100 Dorper sheep and three participants would handle them everyday. There are 11 APUs in Runchang, with one of them dedicated for the Dorper kids.

According to him, the Dorper sheep were chosen as they required minimal care and could adapt to the local climate.

The Dorper sheep is a South African breed that was developed by crossing the Dorset Horn and Blackhead Persian breeds.

A purebred Dorper ram could weigh up to 120kg while an ewe could reach 80kg.

One of the Orang Asli participants, Rozi Rok said she could help supplement her husband's income after joining the project.

"I only work two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon, but I can earn about RM600 a month.

"It's very flexible and allows me more time to do my daily chores," said the 33-year-old mother, who has a 7-year-old son.

Hasan Ngalan, 32, said the Orang Asli were keen to join the project as the APUs were not far from their homes.

"We can still do other jobs, including collecting rattan and tapping rubber while waiting for the sheep population to increase."