Smart investment: Tee (left) is using a drone to fertilise his crops at his fruit farm in Pagoh, Muar.
JOHOR BARU: Farming is more than just grit and grime, as two youths in Johor have proven that the younger generation can also excel in the agriculture sector.
At 26, Tee Xin Zhe is no stranger to the agriculture sector as he first dipped his fingers in farming while accompanying his grandmother to work in an oil palm plantation.
“My grandma took care of me and my siblings when we were young. She used to take us along to work. My interest began from there.
“I went to Taiwan to pursue a degree in agriculture. I wanted to learn the know-how behind the sector,” he said in an interview.
Recently, Tee said he invested in a RM50,000 drone to perform tasks such as fertilising.
“What usually takes two workers to do, I can complete within two to three hours.
“With modern devices, shortage of workers is no longer an issue,” he said.
“I plan to persevere as agriculture is the backbone of a nation’s food security. Even in a crisis such as Covid-19, people still need to eat,” he said.
In terms of advice for youths looking to get into the sector, Tee said: “People always think of farming as dirty and dangerous with long hours under the sun.
“Once they get over this, they will realise that there are just so many things to discover every day.”
For Ng Yong Liang, the love for the great outdoors was the main reason behind his journey into the sector.
Upon completing his tertiary studies in Taiwan, the 34-year-old mechanical engineer worked at a bus depot before deciding to quit the office environment.
“In 2019, I started my own farm growing bananas as I have always preferred outdoor activities and sports.”
Despite the drastic career change, Ng shared that his father, who has an oil palm plantation, was supportive.
“Aside from my father’s advice, I learnt a lot from the network of members of the Johor Fruit Farmers’ Association who have overcome all sorts of obstacles in their farming journey.
“One of the techniques I learnt was to space out my harvesting period so that I don’t clash and compete with other farmers during the peak guava season.
“This way, there will always be a consistent guava supply in the market and I am able to maintain my prices,” he added.
Ng said he tends to his farm in the morning before heading to Pekan Nanas in Pontian to help his relatives tend to theirs in the afternoon.
