Patriots Holding launches its own agribusiness e-commerce arm, Kebun Kita in lieu of the urgent need for Malaysia to be self-sufficient in food production. In 2019, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries (MAFI) revealed that Malaysia has not reached the level of self-sufficiency for basic food, despite numerous efforts done to increase food production and improve the supply chain of fresh produce at the national level.
‘We found that one of the main reasons for this issue is the price imbalance faced by the farmers. Farmers are the real backbone of the country and therefore should be the people who set the market price,’ Patriots Holding Group Chief Executive Officer, Jamalee Bashah said.
‘This industry is integrated with a number of other industries in the country and the agriculture players are at the heart of it. If they are driven to bankruptcy because they are given no power to ask for what is fair for them, then we will surely see the decline in our food security to continue.’
Realizing this, Kebun Kita was established to bridge the market gap and to respond to the continuing issues of price imbalance in the industry. Kebun Kita buys directly from small farmers and distributes the goods to end-users and businesses. Uniquely, Kebun Kita allows the farmers to set the price for their goods, ensuring that they sell at a profit and thus creating a win-win relationship. To date, Kebun Kita has established partnerships with several farms in several states as well as with local food suppliers.
Kebun Kita also aims to set up a network of micro-warehouses which are called mini-hubs located in or near the most densely populated areas to enable easy access and express delivery to customers. This startup also created community-based business opportunities for the locals by offering a profit-sharing scheme as agents or mini-hub operators. To date, Kebun Kita already operates 4 mini-hubs and is expected to have 10 mini-hubs by the end of the year across Klang Valley and towards the southern states.
Apart from the B2C platform, Kebun Kita has started the wholesale channel called Borong@KebunKita. This platform is launched with the idea that businesses and individuals who are looking to buy in bulk will be able to do so at a much more affordable price. Borong@KebunKita platform also provides delivery to every state in Peninsular Malaysia and short-term financing to pre-approved members via Buy Now Pay Later option, in partnership with IOUPay.
‘Kebun Kita aims to continue supporting local farmers and simultaneously help the economy. We also urge consumers to help us support the local farmers by buying local,’ Jamalee continued. ‘When farmers farm while consciously understands that they are contributing to our food security, and when consumers buy with the same understanding that they are helping to elevate local farmers’ livelihood, we are creating a sustainable environment that will give a direct impact on food security.’
‘We are always looking for interested parties and investors to partner with us,’ Jamalee concluded. ‘Food security is not dependant on a single entity and we understand that with more hands helping to carry this enormous weight, we may be able to reduce the gap through our efforts. What we offer is our services, and expertise to help increase food security in the country.’
Kebun Kita platform for retail products are live at kebunkita.biz while its wholesale channel is available at borong.kebunkita.biz
