The third part of this series highlights the vanilla cultivation gaining momentum, with the need for more awareness in order to grow as a vanilla hub
VANILLA cultivation is steadily gaining ground, and among those championing it is Chai Bao Yi, a former IT professional who traded the digital world for agriculture.
His journey began unexpectedly during a business trip to India, where a stroll through a bustling spice market sparked his curiosity.
Surrounded by stalls selling the prized and costly saffron, Chai became fascinated with the economics of spices and how they were traded globally.
That curiosity soon turned into determination, leading him to explore the potential of cultivating vanilla in Sarawak.
For the past 15 months, he has been spearheading his own vanilla farm in Serian, named My Kebun Vanilla at Serian, driven by both passion and the crop’s promising economic value.
From a family of farmers
Starting from his grandparents down to his parents, it is only natural for Chai to be involved in agriculture due to his family’s background.
When Chai came back to Sarawak, he attended the Sarawak Agrofest back in 2023 where he happened to see people selling vanilla seedlings.
“I got a few and started to plant it, experimentally. From then on, I did a lot of research non-stop. It cannot get out of my mind.
“Then I came back to Sarawak. Previously, I worked with Sarawak Energy and then I resigned. I started an IT company with my friends.
“It started not from the farm but the spice market in India. I just got intrigued by how vanilla is significant to them. In Madagascar, people protect their vanilla farms seriously like there is an economic significance for them.
“Then, I started to see our market in Malaysia. There are demands but why are we not planting it? We are exporting it.
“I thought there might be some gap and also opportunity. That’s how I got started.”
Having started the project in February last year, Chai said the vanilla are planted in batches, with about 1,000 plants in his farm in Serian.
Calling IT and agriculture a perfect synergy, he modernised his grandfather’s farm, which today operates as JF Agroforestry.
“The farm was first established by my grandfather, who ventured into various activities, from rubber and pepper plantations to pig farming.
“Over time, those operations gradually phased out, and my father later took over by running a chicken farm, which eventually came to an end as well.
“When I rebranded it as JF Agroforestry, I introduced an integrated land use approach that included a small-scale chicken farm alongside other activities.”
In areas such as Kampung Tian and Kampung Taee in Serian, many farms have been left idle as owners no longer continue planting.
“There are a lot of farms which are neglected. They are no longer trying anymore.”
Seeing the abandoned black pepper poles, he approached farmers to purchase the belian wood—regardless of size or condition—which he then repurposed into trellises for his banana plants.
Chai said this practice reflects his commitment to sustainable farming by transforming unused farmland into productive use without chemicals.
“Sustainable agriculture means you don’t just leave your farm. You can turn it into something useful like a banana plantation…maybe someday, they will become interested and start vanilla plantations as well.”
Integrating technology with agriculture
Leveraging on his IT background, Chai integrates IT methods of doing things for his vanilla farm.
He noted that many would assume integrating IT in agriculture would be expensive but he objects.
“It doesn’t have to be that (expensive). I use a very simple do-it-yourself (DIY) method of doing to prove that IT is not only for the cities. The kampung people can use IT as well on a small scale.
“I see a lot of times when IT was started out full blown then it cannot sustain because your fund is limited and you have a lot of things to spend. A lot of IoT usage also overkills and the farm cannot be sustained.
“I set up the microwave link myself to beam internet access to my farm and built a DIY system to monitor temperature, humidity, and light intensity.
“Since I’m using belian wood, the netting tends to stretch and the gaps widen, which was detected through my IoT devices. That’s when I realised the need for double netting. Otherwise, I’ve noticed many other planters use metal frames and cover them with about 70% netting. So yes, IoT really helps — and this proves it.”
In keeping track of the vanilla growth, Chai introduced near field communication (NFC) card to the mix.
“So with my phone, I just tap and I can record it very quickly. In the farm, you don’t have a lot of time and it has to be quick.
“Tap and scan, it’s just quick. So, this small IoT does help and it doesn’t have to burn your wallet on the IoT infrastructure.”
Learning from the mentor
Chai recalled how his journey into vanilla farming was shaped by the guidance of an experienced mentor.
“I was fortunate to find mine, Leo Komuji from Kinarut.”
Known in the industry for his 16 years of experience in vanilla farming and farm management, Leo first learned the craft in Indonesia before establishing his own farm in Sabah.
Chai, who recently visited Leo’s farm in Sabah during Hari Peladang, Penternak dan Nelayan Kebangsaan (HPPNK), together with friends, was impressed by the results.
“All his farms are full of fruits and flowers. That gave me confidence because if the vines don’t flower after two and a half to three years, it means the planting technique is wrong. With proper knowledge and farm management, the plants will flourish.”
For Chai, learning directly from Leo has been invaluable.
“He’s now my mentor, and coincidentally, we’re both alumni of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. I’ve picked up everything through him, and this shows that with the right technology, right farm management, and our suitable climate, vanilla can thrive here. So why not start planting it?”
Vanilla as a landmark in Serian
Chai expressed his hopes to develop a vanilla hub in Serian, appealing for support from the Ministry of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development along with the Department of Agriculture, saying the initiative would promote sustainable farming while opening up new economic opportunities for local communities.
“We definitely want to set up a hub in Serian. So when we say Serian, everybody knows vanilla,” he said, noting that while the town is known for agriculture, it lacks a signature crop apart from durian.
He envisions the hub as a “Centre of Excellence” complete with a farm, processing facilities, and a learning centre where visitors can gain knowledge about vanilla cultivation.
“Then we can put Sarawak, Serian on the map. People will know about vanilla and Serian—and that would be good because it lifts people’s income. Imagine all the kampung along my place…it’s possible.”
Drawing inspiration from Madagascar, where vanilla is regarded as “green gold” and plays a major economic role, Chai believes Serian too could thrive with the crop.
“Hopefully, we can turn the many abandoned farms in Serian into vanilla farms, so our youth don’t have to travel to Kuching for work anymore. We can create opportunities here in Serian.”
