Reaping Rewards From Planting 'Semerah' Chilli

By Nashir Mansor TAWAU (Sabah, Malaysia), June 12 (Bernama) -- A Kunak Jaya school teacher had initially only wanted to plant 'bird's eye chilli,' also known as 'Thai chilli,' using the fertigation method. Ismail Nawi, 39, travelled to Kundasang – located hundreds of kilometres away in Ranau, a highland area famed for its vegetables – in search of the chilli seeds and suitable gear for the fertigation technique. In Kundasang, Ismail changed his plans when the trader selling the fertigation gear told him to plant the 'Semerah' chilli instead. The trader even advised him to see Dr Jenny Lee, who is the Agriculture Department's officer in Tuaran. The officer then asked Ismail to approach the Malaysian Agriculture Research and Development Institute (Mardi) for advice on cultivating the Semerah chilli. FIRST HARVEST "It was at the end of 2010. After receiving the chilli seeds from Mardi, I planted 2,000 chilli saplings using the fertigation method that I had learned in Sarawak and Terengganu. "Half of the saplings, however, perished," said Ismail at the thanksgiving function held by Wealthy Empire Management Sdn Bhd, which produces the 'Qastury' brand of chilli sambal. Chilli sambal is a kind of chilli paste or sauce that can be taken with food such as rice. Despite obtaining a good yield from the first harvest in June 2011, Ismail was worried about the challenges that awaited him. Ismail tried to sell the chilli at the Tanjung market in Tawau. The traders there offered to buy it at RM5 (US$1.57) per kilogramme, which Ismail reluctantly had to accept, although he felt that the price could have been higher. He then approached Wealthy Empire, which offered to buy the chilli at RM9 (US$2.82) per kilogramme – nearly double the price he had received at the market. Now Ismail produces up to 70 kg of the Semerah chilli during each harvest, which is twice a week. At present, Ismail hires 15 workers to operate his chilli farm of some 3,000 plants at Sungai Duyung, Jalan Pangi Hujung, in Kunak. In all, he has spent around RM30,000 on the chilli-planting project. REAPING THE REWARDS Civil servant Zulkifli Dahlan – who planted the chilli on a vacant plot of land next to his house in Kampung Kinabutan Besar, Batu 5, Jalan Apas at the end of November 2011 – is also reaping a handsome reward from his chilli harvest. Zulkifli said that he hired his neighbours, who are elderly folks, and single mothers to harvest the chilli, which is sold to Wealthy Empire to be made into chilli sambal. The civil servant added that he has planted around 2,400 chilli plants at a new location in Batu 14, Jalan Apas, which utilises the fertigation method, unlike the conventional method used at his chilli farm in Batu 5. Zulkifli also supplies fertigation gear to those who are interested in planting the Semerah chilli. GENERAL MANAGER Meanwhile, the general manager for Wealthy Empire, Syed Abdullah Mohamad, stated that so far, the company is the sole purchaser of the Semerah chilli cultivated in Tawau, including Pulau Sebatik and Kunak, which is processed into the Qastury chilli sambal. According to Syed Abdullah, although 25 farmers are supplying the company with the chilli, the quantity supplied is not enough to meet the rising demands of consumers, some of whom even send orders from Singapore and Brunei. "By buying the chilli from the planters, Wealthy Empire is helping them to market the chilli that they produce," he remarked, adding that it is a form of smart partnership through which some of the planters can earn up to RM8,000 (US$2,510.20) a month. The company also hires disabled persons and former convicts as workers. DISABLED EMPLOYEES "I have been working with the company for seven months, and my task is to process the chilli into sambal and package it," explained Normadiah Ahmad, 18, a school dropout. Before joining Wealthy Empire, Normadiah – who is the eldest of eight siblings – used to help her mother sell kuih at a bus terminal. Former convict Ali Husin, 39, who has been employed at Wealthy Empire for more than a year, expressed his thanks for the help extended by Syed Abdullah. Ali, who is still unmarried and who had served time in prison for various offences, said that this is the first job that he has ever held, and added that he has left behind his law-breaking days. Twenty-eight-year-old Nasir Yusup, a disabled worker who is the youngest of nine siblings, said that he is happy to work with Wealthy Empire as his job allows him to be independent. Nasir, who is physically handicapped, is one of Wealthy Empire's four handicapped workers who are either hearing or vision impaired. -- BERNAMA