Compiled by FAZLEENA AZIZ, C.ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHAN
WHAT was once considered food for wild animals, rambai fruit has the potential to become a new source of income for local farmers following encouraging response from consumers, Mingguan Malaysia reported.
Farmer Mohd Isa Mat Daud, 72, from Kampung Berau, Ulu Cheka in Jerantut, Pahang, did not expect the forest rambai tree (Baccaurea motleyana) he planted 40 years ago to bring in commercial returns.
Mohd Isa said he got the seeds from the Gunung Bongkok forest near his village after seeing the reddish fruits hanging heavily from the original tree.
“A friend told me that it was a rambai tree and that its fruit could be eaten like the local rambai. It has a sweet-sour taste.
“I brought the seeds home and tried to plant them. Only two trees managed to survive and began bearing fruit after eight years,” he said.
He explained that the forest rambai only bore fruit every two years but could produce abundantly during the fruiting season.
Ramli Mustapha, a 45-year-old farmer from Damak, stopped by and saw the commercial potential of the forest rambai.
Ramli, who has been trading local fruits for 15 years, said he was excited to encounter the forest rambai for the first time and began selling it at RM5 per kilogramme.
“Actually, my impression was not wrong, as the fruit was immediately snapped up by customers, just like local rambai and langsat,” he said.
He added that farmers should be encouraged to plant more forest rambai trees to prevent the species from becoming extinct while increasing the diversity of local fruits.
> Former Dolla member Syasya Rizal has urged the public not to belittle her decision to wear the hijab, which she has worn since April 2024, Harian Metro reported.
Syasya, 25, said in a post on Threads that her decision to don the hijab was not an easy one to make and took months of effort, prayer and self-confidence.
“So, please don’t belittle someone’s journey with comments like ‘Take off the hijab soon’. Instead, say things like ‘Pray for the best,’” she wrote.
She added that each individual faces different tests and struggles in life, and that it is inappropriate to judge others.
She began receiving comments from netizens following the release of her latest solo single.
(The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.)
