SHAH ALAM, Sept 13 – Sabak Bernam’s sustainable economic potential continues to be strengthened through efforts to transform agricultural produce into value-added products while fostering stronger community ties through the eighth SABDA Journey Tour @ Pesta D’Bendang 2026.
Sabak Bernam district officer Ali Sadikin Sadin said the Sabak Bernam Development Area (SABDA) initiative, led by Menteri Besar Selangor (Incorporated), or MBI, focuses on integrating economic development, food security and community empowerment.
He said Sabak Bernam has strategic potential, with about 48,216 hectares of agricultural land that can be leveraged to increase the economic value of the sector.
“Our challenge moving forward is how to increase the economic value of agricultural produce by turning it into value-added products and creating more opportunities for our entrepreneurs and youths,” he said.
He said this when officiating the programme at the Parit 13 Community Hall in Sungai Panjang, Sabak Bernam, yesterday.
Earlier, the event also featured a symbolic tree-planting ceremony by Hospital Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah (HSAAS).
Also present were SABDA Special Unit Head Assistant General Manager Kamarul Zaki Khalid; Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) Faculty of Human Development Deputy Dean of Student and Alumni Affairs Associate Professor Dr Abdul Halim Masnan; and Sungai Besar Parliamentary Coordinator Azhar Achil.
Meanwhile, Kampung Parit 13 Sungai Panjang Village Development and Security Committee (JPKK) chairman Nur Syuhadah Yaacob said the second edition of the festival was held with close cooperation from government and private agencies.
She said 17 exhibition booths were set up, including those by Agrobank, the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), Lembaga Zakat Selangor and UPSI.
“The response has been extraordinary, with visitors taking part in various leisure activities such as the Musang Berjanggut and spontaneous basket-arranging competitions, followed by the excitement of traditional sports in the paddy field mud,” she said.
At the same event, 20 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) students from among the children of JPKK Kampung Parit 13 Sungai Panjang residents received free online tuition assistance from UPSI.
The initiative, worth RM300 per student, provides four months of guidance conducted by experienced teaching staff from the university.
