Tan, seen here at his onion farm, is proud to contribute to the pilot project. — Photos: Bernama
THE Perak Agriculture Department is expanding onion cultivation to 10ha in the second phase of its initiative aimed at boosting production and reducing imports.
Department director Norsiyenti Othman said the success of its pilot project covering one hectare in Kampung Kuala Bikam, which yielded 3.3 tonnes during its first harvest in April, served as a catalyst for scaling up onion planting efforts.
She said this expansion, a strategic joint venture between the state government and potential entrepreneurs, had been supported through ongoing retraining and capacity-building programmes.
“We have commenced planting four hectares in the Batang Padang district and another four hectares in the Kinta district, with an estimated total production of 32 tonnes.
“The pilot site in Kampung Kuala Bikam has now entered its second phase, and the overall onion cultivation in Perak encompasses 10ha. This project is managed by the state Agriculture Department and includes the Perak Farmers Organisation Authority (LPP),” she told Bernama.
Norsiyenti added that the Crop Development Industry Division (BPIT) had given the department three tonnes of small red onion bulbs for planting in the Batang Padang district.
Onion bulbs ready for planting.
The planting area will also be expanded, through strategic collaboration with Perak Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIPk) targeting mosques’ wakaf land across the state which covers an estimated area of 4ha.
“This initiative aligns with Perak’s goal of enhancing food security and reducing import dependency, as outlined in the Perak Sejahtera 2030 Plan by Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad,” said Norsiyenti.
She said this round of onion planting would be improved based on insights gained from the pilot project, focusing on spacing between bulbs, pest and disease control, fertilisation and the curing process learned from visits to Indonesia.
She noted that the total imports of large and small onion varieties in 2022 reached 685,400 tonnes, valued at RM1.58bil.
According to statistical data, Malaysia imported 525,055.37 tonnes of onions, valued at RM945mil, from 20 countries.
“The highest volume of imports came from India at 321,776.16 tonnes, followed by the Netherlands (77,772.55 tonnes), China (47,165.48 tonnes), Pakistan (42,957.62 tonnes) and Thailand (12,186.52 tonnes),” said Norsiyenti.
“The onion supply crisis in 2020, triggered by floods in India, caused onion prices to triple.
“It prompted Perak to become the first state to initiate onion cultivation,” she added.
In the meantime, onion grower Alan Yang Chin Choi, 54, said he was motivated to respond to the government’s recommendations to cultivate onions to meet consumer demand.
“I hope this onion crop yields positive results, as there is a high market demand compared to other crops.
“Although this is my first time planting onions, the cooperation and guidance from state Agriculture Department have facilitated the process, which takes 65 to 70 days before harvesting,” he said.
Meanwhile, the first commercial local onion grower, Tan Cheng Choy, 56, expressed pride in contributing to the pilot project.
“The plants need to be watered daily for two months until they germinate, and fertilised every two weeks,” he said, adding that the main challenges in onion cultivation were diseases and viruses.
