PADANG BESAR: WILL you pay RM25 for a kilogramme of mangoes? It may sound ridiculous, but that price tag does not deter mango lovers from jumping into the annual rush for sweet, aromatic Harumanis mangoes.
Hence, it is not surprising that the Japanese are willing to pay up to RM40 for each kilogramme of the premium mango, which is grown only in Perlis because of the northern state’s unique climate.
Harumanis is only available for a limited period, from the middle of April till the middle of June annually, making the cultivar the most sought-after in the country. Since making its debut as the first-ever fruit from Malaysia to pass the Japanese authorities’ stringent quality standards in 2010, Harumanis has also penetrated the market in Singapore and Hong Kong.
The exclusivity of its availability has made Harumanis a precious commodity, not only for the export market, but to the local market as well.
Thanks to Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), an all-year-round commercial production of Harumanis mangoes will become a reality by 2016 using the greenhouse technology developed by the university.
The project, in collaboration with JPB Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd (JPB) and the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA), is set to revolutionise the technology of growing Harumanis.
UniMAP vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Kamarudin Hussin says the project, involving RM21 million in investments, will also allow consumers to get a constant supply through the application of the agronomic schedule production technology.
Kamarudin adds that the idea was initiated in 2008, and the proof of concept by field experiment was accomplished in 2012 before field testing began in the same year.
“It was a major milestone when Raja of Perlis Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Jamalullail adopted this innovation to be tried on a half-acre model farm equipped with modern infrastructure and facilities.
“Upscaling the project to commercial size was quite an uphill task, particularly the investments that cost a fortune, the training of tech-savvy farmers and marketing the product.
“This is where the idea of merging all stakeholders under the triple helix innovation model of academia-government-industry came into the picture.”
Kamarudin says UniMAP is planning to hire and train its graduates to get involved in contract farming using greenhouses.
Meanwhile, UniMAP Institute of Sustainable Agrotechnology (Insat) director Associate Professor Mahmad Nor Jaafar says UniMAP played its part by providing the premises, continuous technology back-up and intellectual capital while the NCIA, representing the government, has arranged for investors to provide seed money and the development of guidelines and regulations. JPB, on the other hand, he says, is engaged in the production process which includes marketing and retraining of farmers.
The technology blueprint of Mango-on-Demand comprises seven portfolio technologies achieved by converging engineering, biotechnology, entrepreneurship and common sense into one package. This is known as the 7-in-1 mango technology.
“Designed for timely and optimum production of premium mangoes, this technology serves as a game-changer and helps to take the mango industry, not only in Perlis but also the country, to the next level,” says Mahmad.
Elaborating on the Greenhouse Production System Technology (GHPS), Mahmad says the system can de-risk the effect of extreme climates and threat of pests to the 20,000 mango trees housed in 100 greenhouses on a 20ha plot in UniMAP’s Sungai Chuchuh campus near Padang Besar.
He adds that the system, which involves using the Internet, automation and remote-sensing, will enable farmers to control the microclimate and plant growth to ensure that fruit production can be controlled by demand.
Besides increasing the plant density by ten times and designing the canopy to increase harvest index, the de-risking system will also help to increase the potential harvest to greater than 70 per cent compared with 30 per cent through the conventional open-field production system.
Pointing out that the current experimental yield obtained was about 25kg per plant, he says the fruit production is equivalent to 25 tonnes per hectare per year.
Under the GHPS, each mature plant can yield at least 50 fruits of 500 grammes each year. A conservative gross return of RM0.5million/hectare can be expected in using the system.
“If the demand for quality mangoes continues to be bullish, we can expect a new landscape of mango industry in Perlis in the years to come, changing it from a million to billion ringgit industry,” says Mahmad.