KUCHING: A successful banana cultivation farmer from Johor shared insights on his enterprise, which is now eyeing the Middle Eastern market, to inspire fellow farmers here recently.
Tan Chee Chiang, a banana cultivation expert, was the keynote speaker at a banana cultivation seminar attended by more than 100 farmers and industry stakeholders.
It was hosted by the agriculture committee of the Kuching Chinese General Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCGCCI).
The “Road to Wealth Through Bananas: Opportunities and Challenges in Banana Cultivation” seminar brought to bear the many challenges modern agriculture faces.
Committee chairman, Loh Siaw Kuei, said these included climate change, pests and diseases, rising costs and unstable market prices.
He also pointed to the worrying trend of declining interest among the younger generation in farming.
“The purpose of this seminar is to introduce new ideas and approaches through the success stories of others, and to share practical techniques that can be adopted immediately,” said Loh.
Tan shared his inspiring journey, which began from the ground up in 1999, when he and his partners established a thriving banana business focused on Cavendish bananas as their main export variety.
To ensure consistent quality, Tan’s team set up an in-house laboratory, a seedling system, and a second-generation breeding programme, ushering in a new era of scientific and modern banana farming.
His company follows a fully integrated “farm-to-market” model, managing every step from seedling production to ripening and packaging.
They have established their own ripening and packaging centres, securing shelf space in major supermarkets, convenience stores, and international markets.
Supporting smallholders through contract farming, the company supplies quality seedlings and technical assistance.
However, after challenges with quality control under fixed-price purchasing, they transitioned to selective farmer collaborations to ensure export-grade standards.
By adopting ethylene ripening and introducing single-banana packaging, Tan’s products have gained substantial market traction, with monthly sales exceeding 100,000 units, especially popular among urban consumers.
His bananas are sold in Singapore, 7-Eleven, myNews outlets, petrol stations, schools, and have expanded into Dubai and Korea.
Although they have yet to enter China, the team is actively pursuing the Middle Eastern market to boost Malaysia’s visibility in the global banana industry.
