KUALA LUMPUR: British American Tobacco (BAT) Malaysia Bhd's community farm garden program, known as "Beyond Benih," has been recognised by the Department of Agriculture as a strategic partner in its endeavors to uphold food security in Malaysia. 

This recognition was formalised during a certificate presentation by Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Malaysia, at the closing ceremony of the Central Zone MADANI Rakyat program.

Fairuz Helmi, the external affairs director of BAT Malaysia, expressed that this acknowledgement serves to reaffirm the company's commitment to making a substantial contribution towards ensuring food security in Malaysia. 

This aligns with BAT Malaysia's overarching purpose of building "A Better Tomorrow," he said.

"We remain steadfast in our goal to expand Beyond Benih, our community farm garden programme across the nation, with the aim of creating independent, prosperous, and environmentally friendly communities," he said in a statement.

Department of Agriculture director general of agriculture Datuk Nor Sam Alwi said BAT Malaysia's community farm garden programme aligns closely with the department's vision of creating sustainable food systems and enhancing agricultural productivity. 

"We applaud their commitment and look forward to further collaboration to address the challenges of food security in Malaysia," she added. 

BAT Malaysia has launched 12 community farm gardens where communities grow their own produce following good agriculture practices. The harvest is then sold at a lower cost to communities in the area, and the funds raised are injected back into the garden.

Through the programme, BAT Malaysia intends to transform the lives of over 250,000 beneficiaries by 2026.