Firm sets up vanilla nursery and seedling centre

KUANTAN: Rentak Timur Sdn Bhd, the country’s first agro-based plantation focusing on vanilla, has started a seedling and nursery centre in the East Coast Economic Region, an extension of the company’s 60ha vanilla plantation in Kechau, Lipis.

The firm’s chief executive officer Syed Isa Syed Alwi said the company began its vanilla agriculture and research activities at a 1.5ha farm in Singaraja, Bali, Indonesia.

“We started by collaborating with a vanilla grower who had been in the business for over 30 years.

“We have brought together qualified and recognised research teams in Malaysia, Indonesia and Europe to standardise the cultivation of vanilla to deliver the best seedlings to contract farmers and customers,” he said.

Syed Isa said that Rentak Timur’s greenhouse could comfortably host 200,000 vanilla plants at a time.

He said the company’s research had shown that Malaysia’s weather and soil conditions allowed the plant to grow exceptionally well, although it was not indigenous to the country.

Vanilla is highly valued for its distinct flavour and is priced at about RM200 per kilo.

Rentak Timur produces 1,500kg of vanilla extract per day through the supercritical fluid extraction processing technology which enables the extraction of pure vanilla without chemical contamination.

In collaboration with Malaysian Herbal Corporation, Rentak Timur is targeting another 200ha of vanilla planted by farmers throughout the country and an estimated production 100 to 300 tonnes by 2010.

The company developed the Malaya Spice brand which produced the world’s first halal organic vanilla extract.

Its products are exported to more than 40 countries including Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand, and Japan, and to west European countries.