Farm Services: Development of Farms and fruit orchards

I love farming and in the last couple of years that I have been immersed in it, one thing that is clear is, as with anything else you do, you must have a passion for it.  It requires commitment and time, and of course money.  However, no matter how much money you have, if you do not have trusted people to work with you, many unnecessary challenges will be faced, often resulting in additional costs and in time, some people give up.  For farm to be in top form, producing quality produce, you must have the time to spend on it.  Around the Hulu Langat area, there are many properties that remain uncared for and turning into a jungle, mainly because the owners have no interest in it, have no time to spend on it, thinks that it is an investment which in the future they can sell and make a lot of money without putting any more effort till then, and a whole other multitude of what I consider wasteful or irresponsible excuses.
Owning a piece of land is a gift, a treasure and a blessing.  It is an opportunity provided to us and should not be squandered.  Options abound.  At the very least, if the owner is too lazy, then find someone and farm it out to them.  However, I feel, that once you really see it with your heart and mind, you will realize the treasure that it is and do something with it and not waste the opportunity.
As such, Suria Helang Lui is venturing into a new area - providing land developing and maintenance services to absentee or part-time dwellers land owners who are interested in developing their land in agriculture such as fruit orchards, weekend farm retreats or vegetable farms.  We develop a relationship with the land owners to understand what their aim and objective is and work towards achieving their dream and vision.

Currently, we are working on one project on a property, which at first glance, people mistakenly think that there is nothing much on it except for forest vegetation.  Within the Hulu Langat area, a major portion of the land has been explored first by the Orang Asli and later, in the early 1900s by Indonesians, mainly originating from Sumatera, namely Kerinci and Minang.  During the time where immigration laws were almost non-existent, people were more mobile.  Until today, there are strong family ties between Malaysian Kerinci and Minang with their families in Sumatera.  As a result of this ealier land development, in many areas you will find Durian, Jering, Kerdas and Petai trees.  Over the generations, with the lack of care on some of these properties, it has returned to a jungle with the aforementioned trees interspersed.  What a waste of opportunity as these trees produces popular items that Malaysians love and definitely have a commercial value.

If a land owner would love to have an agriculture-based property, I highly recommend that the first step taken, after the boundary has been determined, should be to perform a survey of the vegetation.  You may be surprised at what you find.  Unfortunately many land owners do not know one tree from another, some mistakenly identifying a durian tree as a regular wood tree due to the size.  Many people are familar with the propagated version of the durian tree that only lasts around 15 years and not aware that durian trees planted from seeds lasts for decades, hence growing to a great height with big trunks. 

Often people think the easiest and fastest way is just to bulldoze the land and re-plant.  This short-sighted approach often results in lost treasures such as these great fruit trees, great lumber as well as medicinal plants that are often found only in deep jungle, with all the ground razing being done.  With most land clearing, the bulldozer shoves everything on the ground, including the wonderful top-soil into a few piles, which later the owner will have to decide how to get rid of these unsightly hills.  Sometimes, when the land owner decides to build a house, this pile is flattened, causing decomposing organic matter to be mixed with the soil, forming the base of where the house is built.  It is no wonder that often these houses end-up with cracks, when their floor base is sinks or shifts due to the decomposing material.  Later, these same owners wonder why they have to fertilize their plants and trees so much.  Sometimes, I feel like saying "Duh!!!!!".
I view owning and developing a land as a trust, an inheritance to future generations as well as an obligation to preservation as much as possible.  In our quest for development, we have lost many unknown treasures and with each generation, knowledge.  Sometimes, we are so caught in modernization that we forget that many medications, albeit in its traditional form, originate from these plants and trees.  Take the Senduduk Hutan also known as Senduduk Putih.  It has a blood coagulation element within the juice of the leaves as well as the ability to draw out certain types of animal secretions that prevent coagulation of the blood such as the leech or pacat.  It also is used in many other ways.
Once a fruit orchard or farm getaway has been developed, it requires tender loving care to fulfill its maximum potential.  With many land owners busy schedule, regular maintenance is essential and these can be outsourced to outfits like us.  However, as with many relationships, this is a mutually-agreed relationship built on trust with a long-term view.
So, if you need our services, feel free to contact us via my mobile 019-365-1806 or through e-mail at watighio@yahoo.com.