Serdang, 27 July 2026 – Putra Agricultural Centre (PPP), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) organized a Site Visit for the Graduate Youth Agropreneur Development Programme (PROBEST) as part of the effort to strengthen the strategic collaboration between UPM and Agrobank in producing competitive young agropreneurs.

The program, which took place from 2:30 to 5:30 PM, aimed to provide exposure to the university management and strategic partners regarding the implementation of the PROBEST Programme, while also observing the training facilities and the progress of participants currently undergoing the agropreneur development program at the Putra Agricultural Centre.

The visit was attended by Prof. Ts. Dr. Siti Zaharah binti Hj. Sakimin, Director of the Putra Agricultural Centre; Ts. Dr. Rosalam Che Me, Deputy Director of the Centre of Entrepreneurial Development and Graduate Marketability (CEM); representatives from the Centre for Management of Wakaf, Zakat and Endowment (WAZAN); representatives from UPM Residential Colleges; and Putra Agricultural Centre officers directly involved in the implementation of the PROBEST Programme.

Also present representing Agrobank were Mr. Ahmad Ariff bin Abu Bakar, Chief Digital Officer (CDO) of Agrobank; Mr. Rosli bin Jusoh, Head of the Agrobank Centre of Excellence (ACE); and Agrobank officers.

During the visit, the guests were taken to tour several main training locations that serve as key components of the PROBEST Programme. These included the Fertigation Chili Farm, the Quail Farming Site which featured a slaughtering demonstration, and the Melon Cultivation Site, where guests had the opportunity to experience firsthand picking melons cultivated by the program participants. The visit concluded with a mingling session and Hi-Tea at Cafe Adly.

In the final session of the program, Prof. Dr. Shamsul Bahri Hj. Md Tamrin, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Industry and Community Relations), UPM, attended to join the visit and the mingling session with the guests and the PROBEST participants. His presence reflects the university's continuous support and commitment to strengthening the development of agropreneurs among graduate youths through strategic collaboration with Agrobank and industry partners.

This visit also served as a platform to share the implementation progress of PROBEST, which emphasizes experiential learning, the transfer of modern agricultural technology, the development of entrepreneurial skills, and the strengthening of leadership values among the participants.

Putra Agricultural Centre expresses its highest appreciation to all parties who attended and gave their commitment to making this site visit a success. It is hoped that the close cooperation between UPM, Agrobank, CEM, and WAZAN will continue to be empowered to support the national agrifood sector development agenda and to produce more young agropreneurs capable of contributing to the advancement of Malaysia's agricultural industry.

Date of Input: 05/08/2026 | Updated: 05/08/2026 | n_farrid