Former senior fire officer Mat Ariffa Che Mat Reduan, 46, and his wife, former police sergeant Noor Azlina Bahari, 48, now spend their days in simple work clothes tending to chicken coops.

Mat Ariffa said he opted for early retirement from the fire and rescue department in 2023 after having served since 1999. Noor Azlina followed suit in 2024 to help manage the farm full-time.

“At first, we only reared free-range chickens on a small scale, about 50 chickens near our home, to fill our free time,” he told Bernama at the Free-Range Chicken Rearing Centre in Seri Bandi near Chukai.

The centre – which is equipped with chicken coops, power and water supply, an office, a surau, and staff housing – is developed by the Central Terengganu Development Authority (Ketengah).

What began as a small project has grown into a serious operation: Mat Ariffa said they now rear 10,000 hybrid free-range chickens per 60-day production cycle, and employ five workers.

“We also practise contract farming involving 10 farmers from poor families and senior citizens across eight districts in Terengganu, with a total production of 10,000 free-range chickens per cycle,” he said.

Fresh processed chickens are currently sold to wholesalers at RM10 per kg – a competitive price, he noted, they continue to face strong competition from large-scale producers.

“We wake up at 4am every day to carry out slaughtering and processing before sending the chickens to the market,” Mat Ariffa said.

The couple, who have six children aged between six and 23, plan to increase production by adding another 500 hybrid free-range chickens this year.

Besides fresh poultry, they also produce frozen chicken-based products, including marinated chicken and satay. Mat Ariffa said the frozen products, sold at RM25 per pack, help prevent losses during periods of oversupply.

“Our fresh and frozen products are now marketed almost nationwide,” he added.