National Durian Vol. 17

The usage of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in agriculture has been a common practice in some foreign countries. However, it is still a rare sight in Malaysia. Basically, some of the usage of drones in agriculture includes obtaining accurate measurement of a specific planting area, collecting data to evaluate the growth trend of crops and allowing farmers to easily make corresponding decisions. This effectively reduces errors caused by work in the orchard and, in turn, reduces loses. As the chief executive officer (CEO) of iRadar, Dr. Koo Voon Chet is aiming at the durian market today. With the current shortage of foreign labour due to the ongoing pendamic, the usage of drones would be a trend as there are no two ways about it. “In Malaysia, agricultural drones are mainly…

“In laymen’s term, it is similarto an X-Ray that is used to see through the crops and it tells you where there are damages, “ Dr. Koo Voon Chet said with a smile. At present, FGV Holdings Berhad has adopted a hyperspectral drone that can make hyperspectral imaging for oil palm disease detection. By using hyperspectral imaging, farmers can observe whether the oil palm trees have enough water. This is because the main disease among oil palms, Ganoderma, can disrupt water travelling from the roots to other parts of the palms. “With the advancement of science and technology, we can even check which Ganoderma disease it is,” he said. Dr. Koo Voon Chet believes that as this if system can be used in the detection of Ganoderma among oil palms,…

Dulai Fruit Enterprise is one of the certified companies to export whole frozen durians. The company’s chief executive officer, Eric Chan attributed this achievement to their passion for durians alongside with the participation of PLS Plantation. PLS Plantation has recently been actively investing in the durian industry. Since the demand for durians in various countries around the world such as China, the Middle East, the United States, Australia, and Canada has increased, it gradually attracted large agricultural companies such as oil palm giant, PLS Plantation to invest in durians. Through the co-operation with Dulai Fruit Enterprise, PLS Plantation is believed to be able to bring higher revenue to the company and the durian boom is expected to become a key long-term revenue and profit driver for the company. ALL YEAR-ROUND…

Dulai Fruit Enterprise is one of the first companies in Malaysia to obtain the certification for exporting whole fresh frozen durians to China. At that time, there were only a handful of certified companies in Malaysia and Dulai Fruit Enterprise was one of them, thanks to Eric Chan, the CEO of the company. DURIAN AS THEIR MAIN EXPORT Unlike other entrepreneurs, Eric Chan invested in durian production. Usually, those who invest in the durian industry would target the local market as their primary goal. Once they have achieved a certain level of success, only then would they then move on to export. However, Eric Chan first focused on exports and successfully established a reputation in the international; market before returning to the Malaysian market. “Although Malaysian durianswere well – known…

Tan Boon Yek, the head of Long You Nursery SdnBhd, has witnessed the rise and fall of durian seedlings sale. All this is due to Tan Boon Yek’s longterm investment in the durian seedling cultivation industry. Tan Boon Yek, who inherited his family business, is a well-known seedling farmer in Muar, Johor. From rubber seedlings and oil palm seedlings to today’s durian seedlings, he has seen it all. Musang King and Black Thorn seedlings cultivated by Tan Boon Yek are the most popular and are well received by the market. This shows that these two varieties have become the variety of choice among durian farmers in Malaysia. After all, Musang King and Oichihas its own fans in the Chinese market. However, based on Tan Boon Yek’s observations, 101 and Hock…

End of year 2021, peninsula Malaysia received continuous heavy rain. The rainfall in December alone was as much as 400 to 600 mm while the average annual rainfall in Malaysia is between 2000 mm and 2500 mm. Two consecutive days of torrential rain on December 18 and 19 led to varying degrees of floods across the country, especially in the lower grounds and riverside areas. Selangor and Pahang were the worst hit, resulting in the displacement of 70,000 people and widespread damages. High tide and continuous rain were the main reasons for the flood. Tide is a natural phenomenon. Generally, high and low tides happen twice a day, however on the first and fifteenth day of lunar month, the Earth is between the Sun and Moon; when the Sun, Moon,…