Former Cook Finds His ‘pot Of Gold’ In Bunga Kantan

BANGI (Bernama) – He worked as a cook before trading his apron for a hoe. He barely earned enough as a cook to provide for his family and thought that he could get a better income as a farmer.

Saqdam Zaim Arffain, 31, eventually found his proverbial pot of gold in the cultivation of torch ginger flower (Etlingera elatior), better known locally as bunga kantan, a popular ingredient in nyonya and Malay dishes and also known for its aromatic scent and piquant flavour.

The father-of-three now operates Ladang Kantan Bangi here, situated on a 1.21-hectare plot leased from KTM Bhd, where he is able to harvest some 400 to 700 stalks of bunga kantan a week.  

“I began cultivating bunga kantan in 2016, starting with only eight clumps of the plant. After nearly four years, the number swelled to 800 clumps,” Saqdam Zaim told Bernama when met at his farm here.

He added that the monthly revenue from the sales of his bunga kantan stalks and seeds ranges from RM5,000 to RM10,000.

He sells his produce directly to retailers and supermarkets in the Klang Valley.  

 

After Saqdam Zaim quit his job as a cook at a factory in Senawang, Negeri Sembilan, in 2015 and took up farming, he tried his hand at cultivating lemongrass which he sold to some petty traders in Bangi. However, it turned out to be an unprofitable venture.

“Imagine, my selling price for each stalk of lemongrass was only five sen. The returns were not worth the effort I put in. I also grew some rambutan and mango trees but on a small scale,” he said, adding that he then did his own research on vegetables that were easy to cultivate and promised lucrative yields.

That was when the young man came across bunga kantan and was immediately drawn to its potential as a cash crop.

“I was attracted to its commercial value. I realised it is easy to grow and care for, and is resistant to diseases and pests and has a long life span. Not only that, its market price is relatively high… about RM1.50 to RM2 per stalk, even exceeding RM5 during the festive season,” he said.

The demand for bunga kantan is generally good in Malaysia as its distinctive flavour makes it an important ingredient for traditional favourites such as nasi kerabu, nasi dagang, kuah asam pedas and asam laksa.

“It’s easy to cultivate bunga kantan. It can grow from seeds or rhizomes from mature plants. It grows well in peat soil preferably located near a water source,” he pointed out.

Each bunga kantan clump has 10 to 15 plants and each mature plant can produce one or two flower stalks that are ready for harvesting four or five days after the buds are formed.

Bunga kantan grows easily as it is a perennial plant that forms clumps through its underground rhizomes that grow from the base of each stem to create new shoots. In other words, it only needs to be planted once and being a hardy plant, it can survive in any weather condition.  

According to Saqdam Zaim, bunga kantan plants do not require regular fertiliser applications, a factor that renders their cultivation very cost-effective.

“All it needs is mulching (spreading undecomposed plant materials to the soil under the plants to minimise moisture loss) to keep the soil moist and help the plants to grow,” he explained, adding that mulching also encourages the development of mutually beneficial (symbiotic) relationships between the plant roots and soil-borne organisms such as bacteria and fungi, an association known as mycorrhizae.   

 

Besides its use as an ingredient in various dishes, bunga kantan is also used for other purposes.

“In Indonesia, for instance, bunga kantan juice is popular but not in Malaysia. The flower can also be used to make herbal soaps.

“Apart from that, the liquid in the stem of the plant can be applied to the surface of our skin to relieve bruises. The leaves can also be used as a poultice by women during their confinement (after childbirth). This is why I see great potential for the development of the bunga kantan industry,” he said.   

In view of its potential, beginning 2019, Saqdam Zaim has been conducting courses for those keen on cultivating bunga kantan for commercial purposes utilising the permaculture concept.  

He is now planning to organise online courses to meet the needs of interested individuals from other states.

“One doesn’t need to have a huge capital to cultivate bunga kantan. It can also be done on a part-time basis,” he said, adding that he has helped many youths in the Klang Valley to start their own bunga kantan farms.

“I myself don’t have a foundation in agriculture… hence, if I can succeed, so can others. All you need to have is the will (to succeed).”

 

Translated by Rema Nambiar

 BERNAMA