MARDI to develop red onion farm in Bachok

SERDANG, June 3 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) will develop a red onion plantation di Bachok, Kelantan using a variety produced by the institute, which is capable of producing nine metric tons for three planting seasons within a year.

MARDI director-general Datuk Dr Mohamad Zabawi Abdul Ghani said MARDI has produced five varieties of red onions, SA01, SA02, SA03, SA05 and SA08, and the effort in Bachok will begin in July using the SA02 variety.

He said there will be 220,000 plants at one-hectare red onion plantation at Bachok using bulb planting techniques and the first harvest is expected to be in September.

"The red onion variety is capable of adapting to the weather of our country and will have high yields and is a combination of agronomic and physiological approaches,” he said in a media conference about the project at MARDI headquarters here today.

According to him, bulb planting takes 75 days to reach maturity, while seeds will take over three months, or 105 days, and requires hot weather during harvest.

Mohamad Zabawi said with MARDI’s research and onion plantation efforts, they expect the country to be able to produce local red onions by 2023 and reduce onion imports by up to 40 per cent.

Meanwhile, Agriculture and Food Industry Ministry secretary-general Datuk Haslina Abdul Hamid, who was also present at the media conference, said that the onion market, especially in India, is facing a production crisis, causing its exports to decline by 30 per cent and driving up the price of onions in the local market.

She said red onion planting in the country is now nearly a reality and it was a ministry’s initiative in tackling the issue of food security in the country. She added that MARDI’s development in production technology encompassed boosting productivity, and continuous research to adapt varieties of hot weather resistant onions, reducing pest problems, damage due to harvest and strengthening the market.

Haslina said that cooperation with several local and foreign companies and agencies, including World Vegetable Centre (Taiwan) dan Indonesian Agency of Agriculture Research and Development, was also capable of boosting confidence in making onion research in the country a success.

Malaysia fully imports red onions from abroad, especially India and China, and in 2021, imported 484,867 metric tons with a value of RM902.5 million to fulfil consumer demands.

Meanwhile, MARDI also showcased its achievements at the recent International Invention, Innovation & Technology Exhibition (ITEX) 2022 that won seven gold medals, two silver medals and one special award.

Nur Azlin Razali’s innovation of Quality preservation of durian using shrink low-density film and low-temperature storage for market expansion won a gold medal and special award, and the innovation is capable of extending the lifetime of fresh durians.

Shamsul Amri Saidon’s innovation of MRQ103 fragrant rice and Rahayu Anang’s cauliflower planting technology also received gold medals.

-- BERNAMA