CHAPTER 7 : INNOVATION AND CHALLENGES IN MALAYSIA AGRICULTURE


There are few research institutes for Malaysian agriculture. They are divided into three which are :

1) Government bodies :

• MARDI (Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute)
• MPOB (Malaysian Palm Oil Board)
• MCB (Malaysian Cocoa Board)
• MRB (Malaysian Rubber Board)

2) Private Sectors :

• Sime Darby
• IOI
• FELDA (Federal Land and Development Authority)
• FELCRA (Federal Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority)
• Golden Hold 

  

3) Universities

• Unniversiti Putra Malaysia
• Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
• Universiti Malaya
• Universiti Malaysia Sabah
• Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
•          

             

RESEARCH IN OIL PALM

• The first commercial planting was done in 1911 at Tenammaran Estet, Kuala Selangor
• It is Malaysia’s golden crop contributing about RM30 billion to its gross national product (GNP) annually, and now cultivated in an area in excess of 3.8 million hectares
• Research has suceeded in improving the yield of oil palm to 35 tonnes fresh fruit bunches per hectare per year, using the Tenera hybrid bred from the crossing of Dura and Pisifera varieties in early years.
• Dumpy.Yamgambi.AVROS semi-dwarf oil palm hybrid varieties which facilitate harvesting with improved high yield potential and extends the economic life of the crop, and potential high yield clones from tissue culture.

                                           

RESEARCH IN RUBBER

• A lot of technological innovations have been developed in the rubber industry. 
• Being the third largest rubber producer, Malaysia has 1.7 million ha planted with rubber trees. 
• The Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) has developed high yield and disease resistant clones producing >3500 kg rubber ha-1 yr-1 .
•  In the 70s it introduced a high grade rubber named Standard Malaysian Rubber (SMR) in the form of hevea crumb which is internationally recognized as high quality raw material. 
• Rubber can be turned into many manufactured goods and used for many purposes. 
• The MRB has introduced a new innovation in rubber tapping called puncture tapping or microtapping which can result in an increased production of latex
• It produces yields, with hormonal stimulation (etheral), comparable to that of conventional excision tapping. New latex-timber clones (LTC) of the RRIM200 series have been introduced of which the trunk can be harvested for the timber industry (labelled as the Malaysian oak) once it is no longer economical to tap for latex. Vitamine E has also been extracted from the latex. 

                                          

RESEARCH IN COCOA

• In 2002 a biotechnology division of the MCB was established.
• This division aims to implement research and development in cocoa biotechnology as well as to provide services 63 to the entire cocoa industry by developing new technology, capacity building and innovation. 
• Cocoa biotechnology research includes:-

1. agrobiotechnology to improve productivity and production efficiency
2. biotechnology enhanced- quality of cocoa products with respect to safety and health
3. industrial and pharmaceutical biotechnology 

• to obtain new products such as useful bioactive compounds from the cocoa tree, associated microbes in the cocoa environment and cocoa waste.  

                       

RESEARCH IN PADDY

• In order to fulfill the rice demand, for the growing population and with the target rice self-sufficiency of 70% Malaysia has to increase its rice productivity to the target of 90%
• In Peninsular Malaysia, 76 % of rice lands are provided with extensive irrigation and drainage facilities.
• Land available for agriculture is becoming limited by industrialization, urbanization, and expansion of residential areas so that need arises to maximize land productivity.
• Our aim is to make use of high new technology to raise the yield to 10 tonnes per hectare

                             

• The most common places in cultivation of paddy/rice are : 

              (1)MADA (Kedah-Perlis)

              (2) KADA (Kelantan)

              (3)Sawah Sempadan-Tanjung Karang (Selangor) 

•  Examples of fertilizers used in paddy agriculture is :-

                                                            (1) ZAPPA (Zap Padi Angin)

- It is formulated as paddy seed treatment to enhance rapid seed germination for direct seeding rice grown under aerobic and anaerobic systems. ZAPPA® PLUS treated paddy seeds increased the root and shoot growth.

- MARDI researchers in Tg.Karang and Bertam had also evaluated effectiveness of ZAPPA® PLUS for seed germination and the control of the paddy angin. The result showed that seeds treated with ZAPPA® PLUS were able to grow at 5 and 15 cm of water depth.

-  Benefits of using ZAPPA are :

 i) reduce weeds problem 

ii) reduce rat attack because of standing water 

iii) conserved water usage (water was not removed after plowing) 

iv) reduce seed borne diseases, and 

v) increase seed purity.

                                                

                                                                            (2) VITA-GROW

- It is a foliar fertilizer that contains complete and balanced plant nutrients.

- It is also enriched with plant growth regulators, non-ionic adjuvant and organically bound micro-nutrients, which are stable upon storage or when mixing with most pesticide.

-  It is also an excellent supplement to soil applications.

- Benefits of using VITA-GROW are :

 i) Increase plant yield and enhance product quality

ii) Stimulate or induce flowering and leading to better fruit setting

iii) Prevent the shedding of flowers and bud

                                       

RESEARCH ON LIVESTOCK

• The integration of livestock rearing in oil palm plantations (and previously in rubber as well) represented a milestone in the increase in production of beef and mutton.
•  Integration is an effective way of reducing management cost by allowing the livestock to eat away the weeds and having the dung from the animals distributed all over the plantation as a fertilizer.
•  Land development agencies, namely FELDA, RISDA, FELCRA and State governments have participated in this integration programme. 
• neurs who raise cattle in feed-lots, a concept introduced from overseas in the early years. We have developed new breed of beef cattle named Brahmas, a cross-breed between imported Brahman and local Kedah-Kelantan breed.
• A sheep named Malin, a cross between Australian and Indonesian breeds was 64 also developed to increase local supply of mutton. 
•  The Boar goats, a South African breed, are also being raised in large numbers for the same purpose

                                                                        HYBRID

                                       

 FISHERIES/AQUACULTURE

• The fisheries industry, particularly deep sea fishing and aquaculture have receives government incentives to further commercialise and to establish economy of scale by consolidating small ventures
• Aquaculture is the cultivation of natural produce of water (fish, shellfish, algae and other aquatic organisms).
• Also known as aquafarming, the term is distinguished from fishing by the idea of active human effort as opposed to simply taking them from the wild. 
• The government is encouraging locals to adopt aquaculture by constructing ponds and raising fishes in net cages in rivers, lakes and sea shores
• Research has been done on the use of probiotics in improving cultivation of fish and prawns
• A rapid detection kit has been developed to detect white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) disease in prawns
• Modern technology has been promoted to enhance production while looking into the implication of the environment. 
• Biotechnology is low-key at the moment but will be promoted extensively in the future

                                  
                                 

FRUITS, FLOWERS AND VEGETABLES

• Research has been conducted to improve commercial production of banana, pineapple, papaya, starfruit, mango, durian, guava, watermelon, jackfruit, rambutan, citrus, duku, langsat/dokong, cempedak, ciku and mangosteen
•  Flowers such as orchids is a growing 65 industry. Tissue culture is now used for mass-production of orchid seedlings which are even exported
• The vegetable industry has recorded a growth of 7.2% annually. Research on all these commodities have focused on yield increase, optimise usage of fertilizers, water, and new strains together with pest and disease control
• Mushrooms which are strictly fungi but considered as “vegetables” is a growing industry in Malaysia. Research has focused on production biotechnology, cultivation of new species and novel mushroom products. 

                                                              PLANT TISSUE CULTURE

                                                  
                                            

                                             

                                                                ORGANIC VEGETABLES

                                              

                                             

                                                             MUSHROOM PRODUCTION
                                              

                                             

PRECISION AGRICULTURE

• This is a new innovation in agriculture it is also known as “site specific management”.
• This approach has initially attracted the interest of the plantation sector.
• It utilizes  ICT and electronic tools to determine localities (micro-niches) that require specific amounts of fertilizer, pesticide, etc. In the long run it can save management cost and increases yield. 
• Precision agriculture is being practiced partly in oil palm and paddy growing areas.