GROWING CHILI on a large scale.

It's a large scale farming adventure, of 4000 chili kulai and solok variety at Lubok Joh, labok Kelantan. It's a primarily an entrepreneurial endeavor on a rented 2 acre plot. Selected youths took part under the supervision of an experienced farmer Wan Azua. The project was initiated middle of last year, as we were busy with rooftop gardening  in Tanah Merah Kelantan. The project was rolled out in October last year towards the end of my stay in Kelantan, and five months later it is showing clear sign of success.The final success of this project hinged on the number of entrepreneurs that can be developed. And we also try to devise a mechanism that the project benefits community in a lot of ways. 

I was invited to the harvest festival. 

Both of us turned up, myself and Kakdah. 

It was both satisfying and fun.

it's a rain free environment, 

with clear plastic sheet as roof

The two acre plot is fenced up as protection against goats and cows.

Kakdah and Wan Azua

Kakdah was discussing with Wan Azua. 

We know him quite well. 

He is a computer expert, graduated from US, 

worked for 5 years with international company as an engineer, 

then quit to be a full time farmer.

the young entrepreneurs

 learning the trick of marketing.

 They will soon understand that farming is not only about toiling with soil,

 in fact it ends with how much can be sold.

weighing chili

weighing chili

rows of chili

rows of chili

rows of chili

lot of chili

one red chili out of many

this is chili solok, 

a variety which is very popular in Kelantan

chili / Lada solok

chili, they hang nicely

chili

chili

lada solok

chili kulai

Harvest Festival 19th March 2012

Lowland Farming at Lubok Joh, Labok kelantan. 

About 200 people turned up.

a speech by Wan Zul

Wan Zul, cutting the ribbon

One red chili among the greens.

The produce is 2000 kilo for the first month, it is expected to increase reaching the peak in May to almost 4000 kilo a month. When monsoon comes later in the year, they will reap maximum profit, as price may easily double, and most open farming would succumb to rain badly....

We took home 5 kilos of lada solok and 15 kilos of chili kulai. I am happy to see the farming project going on well and bear fruits. I am sure it will create ripples and benefit the whole community in a big way. Such project has a glimpse of "dare to dream" element in it. Over here in Johor, we will embark on similar project on 2000 chili as starter which will later evolve into large scale farming on a 10 acre plot next year. Our associate Tengku Nadzion will be heading the project. I wish Tengku Nadzion and his team GOOD LUCK on  a noble and very enterprising endeavor of 2000 chili centil. Planting will be done end of March.

 bangchik and kakdah

johor.

Growing Chili centil in Johor.

We brought along fresh chili centil from Tanah Merah..., kakdah took out a few from the refrigerator  for her menu. It's almost a month now, there are still some available. Within the first week upon arrival in Johor, I took out fresh chili centil seeds and germinate the usual way. Soak for an hour or two, then wrap in damp kitchen tissue until they rooted.

It's almost two weeks now. After a month, they will be placed in bigger pots. Serious farmers would normally put one month old seedlings out into the field, but I would rather wait until monsoon is over towards the end of January.

• Sow:-                               10 Nov 2011
• Germinate :-                     17 Nov 2011
• Transfer to bigger pots:-   17 Dec 2011
• Transplant:-                       17 Jan 2012

Chili Centil seedlings (27 Nov 2011)

Chili Centil seedlings (2 DEC 2011)

Chili Centil seedlings (2 DEC 2012)

A few days ago, responding to Azmi's question where I got chili centil seeds, 

I said I will spare a few seedlings for him.  I am exploring who else is keen in gardening around here, to spearhead another  serious agro adventure in Johor Bahru. Growing chili preferably.....

bangchik and kakdah

Johor Malaysia

Three days without water, how does it feel?

How does it feel to be without water for three days? We never know for sure because we are blessed with rain almost every day. Imagine what  life would be in desert if left alone for days. But how can we imagine hunger and thirst without experiencing one. How can we imagine love if we never had one. We can go down the list: poverty, pain, anger, sadness, joy....... etc.

Tanah Merah was without running water for three days recently. Yeap, River Kelantan still flowing, rain do drop almost every other day but tap was completely dry. Since modern life is made so dependent on tap water, anything wrong with the distribution system will affect us. The other day, the big pump broke down, replacements had to be imported, so tap was dry for three days. They did send tankers to ease hardship, yes a basic emergency procedure. But modern life itself can't effectively cope even with good recovery efforts........ Since there was only two of us in the house, we went on low consumption measure and rationing usage. Our neighbour at the front with 8 children would suffer more.

I remembered how  Melaka in 1991 had to go through it's worst water  crisis when Durian Tunggal reservoir dried up after a prolonged drought. Millions of dollars had to be pumped in to handle water crisis; diverting water from other states, and sending planes up to do cloud seeding. Melaka Water Board finally had a new boss ...........Without trying to be too judgmental, we do accept that history of mankind was punctuated with crisis, fallen heroes, rising stars, and scape goats ......

Then another problem appeared right in front of us. Our own fertigation system! So I resorted to manual mode, rationing water to just once a day. Huh, how they cried, yellowing every leaves they had, ripening every chili they held, to survive on low water mode. It should take longer than three days to see us humans succumb to starvation ..... Like us, chili plants are fighters too. Trying to emerge as winners against all odds, is still within their DNA make-ups.  To survive against drought, to stay sane, to stay relevant is to see the light of tomorrow......

pic1 ~ chili leaves yellowing, chili ripening, thirsty.

pic 2 ~ chili so small, yet potent.

pic 3 ~ Kakdah picking ripe chili from 90 plants

pic 4 ~ chili plants looked so healthy 2 weeks ago

A lady from the far end, asked for 3 kilos. She runs a restaurant nearby. I didn't know how much Kakdah charged that day. With Thailand still suffering from flood which effectively reduced vegetable imports across the border, Kakdah should know how much to charge. A full time housewife, but there is no stopping for her to know the rule of supply and demand. She has  mental record of her chili sales...... I wouldn't ask.

bangchik and kakdah

Tanah Merah Kelantan

rooftop gardening - harvest festival!

It is Pesta Menuai in Malay langguage or Tadau Kaamatan in  Kadazan langguage or the more popular  Harvest Festival. So the day finally came to rejoice over 3 months long endurance  with  rooftop gardening.  Dato Sri Mustapha Mohamed came to grace the occasion. Over a thousand turned up to support the colourful event, ranging from kindergarden children, students, mothers, fathers and as Sulong noted even elderly grandmothers.

The first chili harvested.

Dato Sri Mustapha put it in a decorative basket.

As planned, there were colouring contest for kindergarden children, essay competition for secondary school students, photography contest, flower and veggie arrangements for the ladies. So the crowd came in large numbers for the day. Exhibition booths were set for agencies/companies with agriculture interest. If tarian Sumazau is popular in Sabah during Tadau Kaamatan, over here kindergarden children showed something colourful with their steps.

the crowd, mothers, fathers and children

The crowd, front row

a little girl wishing to have clearer view

pa system spaghetti wires..... and the crowd

Front row:  Fauzi, Kamarudin, Shab and Zairon

Dato Rohani was happy with the large turnout

Dato Ikmal came too.

Tanah Merah DO, Dato Ikmal and Hj Md Nor

Nik sharing a joke.

girls from nearby school

The registration going on..

The ladies helping out.

Kakdah was there too, far right, accompanying Pn Normah.

MC..... Radio Kelantan DJ Kak Wan and Rugayah
handling earlier events; 
singing, dancing and nasyid.

boys and girls queuing up for their show.

Dancing

a different group, a different dance

the smile..., confidence building up.

the children holding hands

another show, nasyid ready to get up the stage

nasyid

nasyid

Dikir Barat

Mail Anak Kala,  an icon in Dikir Barat

MC..... ready for the main event.

Kakdah, front row with spectacles and her friends.

Dato Sri Mustapha Mohamed going up to the rooftop.

crowding over TokPa 

Group Photo for the day.

It is about putting rooftop gardening across to the community,
about educating younger generation to be innovative
about saying Thank You God for bountiful harvest.

Rooftop gardening is no more foreign to the community. Everyone who get to the rooftop and briefed about rooftop gardening will get a certificate ~ friends of rooftop gardening. The number should swell to thousands by the end of the year. The team is targeting to be in Malaysian Book Of Record on the biggest number of rooftop gardening visitors!  Now the team is entering into the next phase, that is marketing. They should work out where to sell chili centil. There is a long list of potential buyers. The first harvest is about 80 kilogram, sold the same day!

(Thanks Nik for hundreds of lovely photos)

Earlier posts on rooftop gardening. 

• July 8, 2011 rooftop vegetable gardening: heavy with green chili
• June 27, 2011  ROOFTOP GARDENING : gearing for a big harvest.
• June 15, 2011  rooftop vegetable gardening: chili flowering 
• May 30, 2011  ROOFTOP GARDENING: they get everybody involved. 
• May 18, 2011  rooftop gardening: Condition them for transplanting. 
• April 28, 2011  Rooftop gardening: they rope me in
• April 19, 2011  Roof Top vegetable gardening

bangchik and kakdah