Suria Helang Lui: 7 years later Part 4: Behind the scenes

Suria Helang Lui is a family farm, not a large corporation farm.  It took me 10 years to find the right piece of land for me.  As far as possible I wanted to get a piece of land that hadn't been developed or worked on for a while.  The main reason being that it meant the exposure to chemical pesticides and herbicides would be minimal.  Having the basic infrastructure is important.  The basics are access, water and electricity.  Another important factor is the distance from my home to the land had to be within commuting distance which also meant not far from K.L.

When I bought the land, it looked like a jungle so the first few months, I spent time with my parang

and weed cutter to check the lay of the land to figure out how I wanted to design the layout of the farm.  I already had road access and electricity was near so nothing major to be done in this area.  The water supply to this area was by Syabas and they used a 1 inch polypipe to supply the water to the area which meant that the water supply would be insufficient for what I wanted.  So, I decided to lay polypipe to bring water to the farm.  Three years later, I decided to lay a second water supply line strictly for the fish pond.

The farmhouse was built on a as-I-grow basis so it started out with a storage room/rest room and then I added a square structure of 24 fee by 24 feet and it was connected to the rest room via a walkway.  This has evolved to what I have now: a 3-bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1 bookworm, 1 prayer room, living room, dining/work area (where the walkway used to be) and a large kitchen.  The kitchen area is an open concept kitchen with plenty of work areas and storage all to support the operations of the farm.  To date, I have still not completed the outer exterior - still have details but I hope someday I will get around to it as it is not high on my priority list.  I had started out with a design that allowed for growth and additions so the farmhouse took a few years to be the way it is now.  Each time we did an addition, we didn't have to knock down walls because I didn't want the headache of debris removal and I didn't want to waste money unnecessarily.

The development of the farm is self-funded hence I have the freedom to develop it any way I want and no reporting needed.  After all, I had done my share of reports in my previous life in the corporate world.  As such, every major development is properly planned to reduce wastage and unnecessary investment.  I would say I went to the University of Life as I develop the farm as my idea was different than what I had seen other do.  All the farms that I have seen are focussed on a produce be it vegetables, fruits, chicken, fish, etc. and followed what has normally been done.  Through it all, many have often remarked that what I was doing was wrong and that if I didn't focus, it would not be commercially viable.  All the produce we have now are from what we planted or started and it takes time for them to be productive.  I am happy to say that we are now moving into the black though I do not foresee being a millionaire from it in the near future but what I gain from it is ultimately worth a lot more.  I could have gone into the black earlier if I experimented less but I wouldn't have gained all the knowledge that I have now.  On top of that, I am my own employer, doing what I love and I do not have to worry about what I will do when I retire.  I continue to experiment, do research and learn.  This keeps my brain alive and I do not have time to be bored.  It is through all this that I have been able to move the farm from being a purely raw goods producer to multi types of produce and products.

I am not from an agricultural background but I have never let that stop me from experimenting and researching as well as learning from practitioners.  I cannot do it alone hence having a solid right-hand man who shares my vision for the farm is essential.  From time to time, I add helpers for specific projects - mainly when there is building to do or preparation of area for planting.  It is not a matter of throwing bodies but having the right people with the right mindset and attitude.  Currently there are 3 of us - Azis, Lia and I.  We each have our roles but help each other out as needed.  

Farming is not a 8-5, Monday to Friday job.  We are dealing with living things, nature and life.  When it rains, we have to work around it to get things done.  If the river otters or wild boars decide to invade the farm at night, we cannot just ignore them and let the dogs deal with them or we may end up with our plants destroyed or the fish gone.  It cannot be treated as a job but more as living.  Hence it has to be a full-time commitment.  It has to be a team sharing the same vision of making the farm succeed to be successful.  In every task we do, we have to do it to the best of our ability and not just say a task was done.  I do monitor that members of the team get enough rest so at times outsiders may find that I have people sleeping in the afternoon or resting.  It is not because they are lazy but more of the fact that they were taking care of the farm until dawn.

I am very much hands-on and am involved in every aspect hence I continually need to increase my knowledge from farm practices to marketing.  One of the most important tenet is that we only sell what we will eat or use.  Each week as we prepare for market, the question that I remind my team is "Will we eat it?  Will we use it?".  If the answer is no then we don't sell it.  I care about our brand: Suria Helang Lui.  It has taken us years to build our reputation and it is important that we maintain the trust and confidence from our customers.

While it may be hard work, it is infinitely satisfying and I know that what we produce are good and something that I would feed my family and friends.  Pursuing my passion has given me a lot of pleasure and sense of accomplishment and a future, in shaa Allah, until the day I die.