KUALA LUMPUR: One thousand hectares may sound pretty big but to Synergy Farm Sdn Bhd, it is the minimum the company needs to plant Cavendish bananas for export next year at the earliest.

To achieve this desired land bank, the company is offering a franchise to anyone interested in growing bananas, said its senior manager in charge of the franchise programme, Azrul Zulkifly.

The company was set up in June 2002 and since then has gained extensive technical expertise in all matters related to the planting, harvesting and sales of the Cavendish banana, such as crop development, maintenance, production, processing, packaging and marketing.

"We already have five franchisees, young graduates from diverse fields, including civil engineering and social sciences," says Azrul.

"They are attracted to the prospect of becoming successful modern farmers with the strong support of the government.
"Their involvement adds 60ha to the existing 120ha land bank.

"We expect about 100 franchisees to sign up under the Cavendish Banana Franchise Farming Programme and reach the 1,000ha target," he said.

The requirements under the franchise programme include the franchisee's ability to provide unencumbered land, whose suitability for use will be assessed by a Synergy Farm technical team.

A franchisee will also need to have funds to sustain the projected financial operating requirements up to the commencement of production, with due regard to the scale of operations envisaged.

Azrul said 10 individuals from Perak had also signed up to be franchisees and were in the process of applying for financial support from Perbadanan Nasional Berhad, under its Youth Franchise Scheme.

"Their land totals 120ha. Five of them are women."

Franchisees receive total management support from Synergy Farm, which provides key resources, including planting methods and technology, planting materials and training in field management at the company's farm in Ara Kuda as well as benefit from a buy-back scheme.

As the franchisor, Synergy Farm will carry out land assessment, provide consultation services and assist in problem solving, pay periodical visits to farms to oversee progress and ensure raw materials are supplied on time according to schedule.



In return, the franchisee has to concentrate on the business on a full-time basis, monitor all the work that has to be done according to the schedule set by the franchisor, undertake to buy raw materials and equipment from the franchisor as well as attend meetings it calls.



The franchisees have to contract with Synergy Farm to sell all their produce to it so that it can guarantee its local clients and those abroad a continuous supply of bananas .





According to Azrul, Dubai was one overseas market with potential to be tapped. Synergy Farm had received inquiries from interested parties there .

Another market is China, where Synergy Farm has contacts.