CYBERJAYA: Hard work pays off, and it has proven true for settlers of Felda Sungai Tengi Selatan, Hulu Selangor.
Their harvest of golden melons is now available on the shelves of several branches of big supermarkets and wholesale markets in the country.
Project coordinator Suhairi Hussin, 36, said what made them prouder was that their harvest – a result from a fertigation project that has been carried out since May last year – met the conditions and quality set by supermarkets.
He said the project was carried out to increase the income of settlers.
According to him, the project has enabled 139 Felda settlers in Sungai Tengi Selatan to earn dividends of up to RM3,000 per person.
“We cultivate golden melon plants in 33 greenhouses that are developed at a site, covering more than 4ha, using air-hydro watering system technology and with seeds brought in from Thailand.
“The golden melon was selected for the project because of its high demand in supermarkets, but there are many who cultivate it on a large scale.
“The waiting period for the crop to bear fruit is also not too long, which is around 65 days.
“This allows us to harvest the fruit four times a year,” he said when met at the launch of the National Month and the Fly Jalur Gemilang event here yesterday, Bernama reported.
Suhairi added that each greenhouse had about 2,400 golden fruit plants, producing between 1.5 and two tonnes of fruits that are sold at a farm price of between RM6 and RM8 per kg.
The market price can even reach more than RM10 per kg, he said, adding that the fruit had a sweeter taste and was more crunchy than honeydew melon.
He said they were initially sceptical about meeting the supermarkets’ requirements.
“One of the conditions is that we need to supply two tonnes of fruit.
“It was a bit scary for us, with careful planning, we managed to harvest the fruit every week so there is always supply,” Suhairi said.
The golden melon fertigation project is managed by 14 settlers, aged between 21 and 30.
Following the success of the project, he said they were now aiming for the overseas market, with Singapore in their sights for next year.
“To realise this, we need to have five more greenhouses. Many people see farming only as a tiring job.
“If done seriously with meticulous planning and with the right knowledge, as well as using modern equipment, it brings good income and is worth every drop of sweat,” he added.
