TERENGGANU HONEY HOUSE TO HELP PELEKAT MEMBERS GENERATE MORE INCOME

KUALA NERUS, Getting their own business premises finally was realised for 148 members of the Terengganu Kelulut Honey Entrepreneurs Association (PELEKAT), with establishment of the Terengganu Honey House. Located in Wakaf Tembesu here, the premises which is the centre for the sale of honey and downstream products was made possible as a result of assistance from the Terengganu Department of Agriculture with an allocation of RM35,000. PELEKAT advisor Prof Shamsul Bahri Abd Razak said the existence of the Terengganu Honey House will give members the opportunity to market their products in a more structured and extensive manner. He said it will also help members generate more income thus increasing their socio-economic status, especially for those from low-income groups. "Terengganu Honey House is the first house of honey in Malaysia, set up as a result of the cooperation between an association and a government agency. We have a network of products such as cosmetics, soap and aromatherapy based on the Kelulu t honey. "We hope to make the Terengganu Honey House a one-stop centre not just for the sale of honey and downstream products, but a centre for information and ecotourism attraction for the state one day," he said when met at the Terengganu Honey House here today. Commenting further Shamsul Bahri said currently the production of PELEKAT members' Kelulut honey products reaches up to 20 tonnes per year which are sold at a price of between RM120 and RM150 per kilogramme. Even more special is that the quality of the PELEKAT Kelulut honey, sold under the T'Ganu Honey brand, is guaranteed to be original because it has passed the purity test at Makmal Kualiti Madu Pantai Timur, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT). He said the laboratory is the only one on the East Coast and is equipped with the High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) machine, worth RM400,000. "Entrepreneurs of Kelulut honey and wild honey are welcome to use the service because the charges are much lower than elsewhere," he added. Sourc e: BERNAMA News Agency