Booming business: Razali and his wife Samsah Angah packing sweet potatoes at their home. Razali says he has sold over 300kg at RM5 per kg. — Bernama
GUA MUSANG: Razali Ayeh suffered huge losses when his banana and jackfruit farms were destroyed by elephants.
However, he did not easily accept defeat.
He continued to cultivate cash crops such as sweet potatoes.
Razali, 48, an Orang Asli from the Temiar tribe, said although he only got active in the cultivation in April, he now has 4,000 yellow and purple sweet potato plants and expects his harvest to hit one tonne.
He said he plucked up the courage to go into farming after attending an agriculture course organised by the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) and Agriculture Department after suffering the disappointment several years ago of losing his banana and jackfruit plots to the elephants.
“Thank God the sale of the sweet potatoes have become a source of income for me and my family,” Razali told reporters when met at Kampung Redip, Pos Hau, on Tuesday, Bernama reported.
According to him, he was able to penetrate a wider market and get a higher demand for his produce when he started promoting the sweet potatoes via social media platforms.
“From my initial experiment after two months of cultivation, I was able to sell 300kg of sweet potatoes to local residents and customers in Kuala Betis, Gua Musang.
“I only cultivated land on a small scale, not even 0.4ha. So, I am very happy because after more than two months of cultivating the crop, it has given me a good yield,” he added.
Razali said he sold his sweet potatoes at RM5 a kg, and at the same time offered customers the experience of picking sweet potatoes themselves in his farm.
“I also give customers a RM1 discount, at a price of RM4 a kg, when they buy more than 10kg of sweet potatoes,” he said.
Razali also said he was thankful to Jakoa which reignited his spirits some time ago by inviting him to participate in an agriculture course based on sweet potato plants at the Agriculture Department office in Besut, Terengganu, last year.
“From there I got help and other agricultural input so that I could continue growing sweet potatoes,” he added.
