From political officer to successful duck egg farmer

PETALING JAYA: After a stint as a special political officer to Penang Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abd Rahman, 33-year-old Muhamad Sufi Mohd Jamil decided to follow his heart and become an entrepreneur.

Having a Bachelor’s Degree in Science with honours in statistics, the Public Service Department scholar took the unusual route to rear ducks for their eggs instead. During a recent interview, he said he embarked on poultry farming since 2020 so that he could spend time with his family.

He said the risk is always there, considering diseases like bird flu could destroy his business, and it was particularily challenging at the height of Covid-19.

“But it is less hectic than my previous job. Being the special political officer to the deputy chief minister was very tiring and involved long working hours.

“I had little time for my family and often had to miss important events like birthday celebrations and others. For a long time, I was thinking of what else I could do, and I embarked on poultry farming as it is a fairly lucrative business. Now I have the freedom to work at my pace and spend time with my family too,” he said.

Muhamad Sufi said he preferred to be his own boss and mostly looked after his ducks by himself. His farm, which is located on a 1.2ha plot in Kampung Menteri Pertanian, in Penang, houses 300 ducks and produces some 4,500 eggs each month. While not wanting to provide figures, he said he earns a decent income from his farm, even though only 70% of his ducks produced eggs.

At the initial stage, he added that he faced a lot of difficulties in running his farm, mainly because of a lack of knowledge about poultry farming, a shortage of capital and the rising cost of animal feed.

Muhamad Sufi also said he had to be extremely alert when he started his farm because his livestock was attacked by wild boars, monitor lizards and even wild dogs, which came in packs.

“I had a really difficult time warding off these predators despite fencing off my ducks. But it is a learning curve and there was a lot of trial and error too, just to get my farm running smoothly.

“My initial capital was quite high as I had to purchase my stock of ducklings at an average price of RM6 each. Also, they need to be fed for seven to 12 months before they start laying eggs. I spend RM4,000 monthly on feed. But now I have started making my animal feed and this has halved my cost,” he said.

On his advice to others who wish to venture into business, Muhamad Sufi said, “be prepared for all the risks involved in doing business. It is certainly not easy to run your own enterprise, but it is worth it once you see the results.

“Today, most people prefer to carry out an online business, believing it to be easier. But not all businesses succeed as risks and having the right product are involved. Malaysia and the rest of the world are today very concerned about food security.

“So if you can grow vegetables or even enter the animal husbandry industry, you will probably succeed in your business and contribute to our national food security. The most important thing is to never give up when the going gets tough. Soon, as one gains more knowledge and experience, things will get better.”

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