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Borneo Empurau Farm seeks MyGAP certification

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The empurau fish. Photo: Ghazali Bujang

KUCHING: With a strong focus on modern integrated farming, Borneo Empurau Farm & Resort Sdn Bhd (BEFRSB) has taken great strides in establishing and expanding its fertigation and aquaponic systems.

BEFRSB assistant farm manager Alethea Jameson Jaya explained that fertigation involved the incorporation of fertilisers into the irrigation water, which was applied to the planting medium via a drip system.

“Through this method, the efficiency is increased. The crops which we have been planting using the fertigation system include eggplants, Japanese cucumbers, chillies, terung asam, rock melons and so on,” she said.

Alethea said aquaponics, on the other hand, coupled aquaculture and hydroponics without using soil as a medium.

“Animal waste acts as the fertiliser for the plants and our fish and vegetables are very healthy since we do not use chemicals and pesticides in this system,” she said when met on Wednesday (May 19).

BEFRSB is aiming to achieve Malaysian Good Agricultural Practices (MyGAP) certification for its fertigation and aquaponic systems.

The 60-acre farm also houses a fruit orchard, where local fruits such as jambu, kedondong, passionfruit, longan, and more can be found.

As for aquaculture, the farm has delved into the breeding of empurau (edible freshwater fish) as well as selected species of tilapia.

“We have been doing research and development (R&D) with local universities on empurau. We do this because we want to prevent the extinction of empurau since fishing activities have resulted in a reduction in their population,” said Alethea.

BEFRSB owner Datuk Yong Fook Heng said they did not sell mature empurau for consumption, adding that the mature empurau available at the farm were mainly for R&D purposes.

He said the juvenile empurau were also directed into contract farming or to rural villages to allow the villagers to care for the fish until they were released back into the river.

Yong encouraged the younger generation to get involved in modern farming.

“Here, we have a place for them to learn. If you just study from books, it is not enough. It is experience which is most important, and at our farm they can gain this experience. Then, you can add your ideas and create something new,” he said.

Rather than simply focusing on basic farming, Yong urged youths to think further and expand their opportunities by exporting their crops. 

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