OVERCOMING CHALLENGES FROM WEATHER TO FUNDING
These sweet melons are grown in greenhouses on four cycles each year. They thrive in hot weather, and are ready to be harvested in 65 days.
In general, hotter weather leads to larger fruits, as the melons suck up more water and nutrients from the ground.
However, farmers said that the unpredictable weather these days poses a constant headache for them.
To improve farm operations, technologies such as artificial intelligence are being adopted. They also help to gather useful data to future-proof the industry.
The huge potential of Terengganu melons has inspired two female postgraduates – Mazaitul Akma Suhaimi and Norzilawati Fauzi, who both majored in food and biotechnology – to venture into the business.
Ms Mazaitul is the founder of Ayana Agrotech, which currently sells about 70 per cent of their produce in and around the capital Kuala Lumpur.
The company hopes to export to the Middle East, as well as Hong Kong and neighbouring Singapore next year.
“The biggest challenge is the fund to start. It’s quite hard if you are new. Fertigation is quite costly,” said Ms Mazaitul, referring to the technique of supplying dissolved fertiliser to crops through an irrigation system.
“We can sell the melons at a good price. It has excellent quality in terms of taste and texture. We must do proper marketing to introduce it to the whole of Malaysia,” she added.
