Mother Nature’s blessings

We are born unto the embrace of Mother Nature, accepting her gracious blessings. We thrive upon her benevolence, hydrating the earth, providing us with food; boundless oceans, rich with resources. Meanwhile, a group of people live close with Nature, they form intimate bonds with the earth and the sea. Mother Nature blessed them with harvests and revenue. They plant crops in agricultural lands, gather edible plants in the wilderness, involve in coastal aquaculture, fishing in the deep sea, adhering to natural life patterns. 

They worked tirelessly, pursuing a single career path, sticking to their duties for the better part of their lives, bustling around farms and forests, taking a plunge among tides and oceans. They rely upon Mother Nature to make a living, yet at times grapple with Mother Nature. They are skilled in steering, coping with unpredictable weather and environmental changes. They bend with respect, accepting daily challenges to coexist with Nature. 

Despite exhaustion and setbacks, they do not hesitate to make the best out of it. With environmental virtue and reverence for the ocean, they look upon each harvest as a blessing. They humbly describe themselves as insignificant, often overlooking their great contributions. At times they take risks regardless of their own safety, grasping each opportunity no matter at what expense. They led simple and contented lives, caring tenderly for seeds sown to plant vigorous crops albeit shortchanging themselves.

Mother Nature is the source of all lives and nutrients, in each land and plantation, each valley and forest, each river and ocean, there are farmers and fishermen who toiled ceaselessly to supply us with fruits and vegetables, fish and meat, and food for our tables. They may appear inconspicuous, or drowned in commotion, disregarding their age spots and dark marks, they discreetly compose a story of co-existence with Mother Nature

Text: Daniel Lim & Pua Hui Wen

有你 UNI Production
Producer : Mok Yii Chek
Coordinator : Daniel Lim
Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Evon Pang
Drone : Daniel Lim
Video Editor : Evon Pang
Production Assistant : Michael Lerk
Copywriter : Daniel Lim
Voice Over : Andrew Kee
Music : Romantic Piano & Strings from AShamaluevMusic – YouTube

COPYRIGHTS 2020 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD

Buy us coffee

Sounds of Livelihoods

Touching the hearts of listeners without melodious tunes, reticent amid chaos, living a peaceful life. Be it in forests and fields, on rivers and oceans, or in the streets and lanes, they could be found addressing various needs of the people with their expertise; selflessly contributing to the living environment, family, and society. These diligent tradespeople, through quality products or exceptional service full of human touch, pass on the legacy of cultural heritage. 

Forefathers who emigrated to Malaysia in the early days experienced a long period of scarce resources and poor standards of living, most of them making a living by land cultivation or handicraft. Despite harsh conditions, they trudged on without slacking instead of retreating in fear. Some of them developed a passion for the industry under constant influence, and continue to carry forward the spirit; some of them inherited expertise from the previous generation, preserving the quality and passing on the skills; some of them adapt to times transformation, thinking out of the box to pursue innovative ways.

In the ever-changing present lifestyle, most people value speed and convenience, subsequently some industries are facing a dilemma, especially tedious work performed under difficult situations. Younger generations are less interested in traditional handiwork, unwilling to take on dull work or skills that are less profitable, causing some traditions and culture to be nearly extinct after centuries of inheritance. Tradespeople who dedicated the better part of their lives to their work inevitably feel worried about the probable loss of heritage.

Trickling streams merge into rivers and oceans, each drop of laborious sweat may seem insignificant, yet full of vigour. Relentlessly abiding by their duties, they undertake the responsibility of cultural transmission. Together we listen and stand witness to these arduous trails.

Text: Daniel Lim & Pua Hui Wen

有你 UNI Production
Producer : Mok Yii Chek
Coordinator : Daniel Lim
Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Evon Pang
Drone : Daniel Lim
Video Editor : Amelia Lim
Production Assistant : Michael Lerk
Copywriter : Daniel Lim
Music : Jamesvmusic

COPYRIGHTS 2020 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD

Buy us coffee

Ginger in Banting

Banting, being the largest collective ginger plantation in Kuala Langat district, has porous black peat soil which is suitable for planting fruits and vegetables. Most villages in the district rely on agriculture as their main economic activity, about 1400 acres of land has been cultivated into ginger plantations by around 50 farmers. Among them, Jenjarom village listed ginger as one of the four local treasures. Due to soil degradation and pollution, there is less favourable farmland in Jenjarom; only a few farmers persist in planting ginger due to poor yields. 

There are two categories of ginger: young ginger, which is harvested around 5½ months; and mature ginger, which is harvested around 8-10 months. As ginger cultivation involves high risks, especially the weather, mature ginger is priced higher, though young ginger is more in demand. The prices per kilogram for mature ginger is between RM15-RM20, while RM4-RM5 for young ginger. Unlike other areas famous for mature ginger (Bentong, Raub), Banting focuses on young ginger cultivation, with high yields and market penetration up to 70% in Malaysia, as well as exports. Apart from young ginger, Banting also produces galangal and turmeric, each with their own flavour and usage. Young ginger is used in cooking chicken and fish, or shred into crispy strips. Galangal has far wider usage, to cook beef, pork, mutton, duck, making satay sauce, and even extracted to make perfume. Besides enhancing flavour, turmeric also imparts colour, mostly used in cooking rice and curry.

77-year-old Tan Ngoo is a senior ginger farmer in Banting, who enjoys starting his daily work at the farm before dawn, taking an hour’s break for lunch, then continuing to work until sunset. Uncle Tan has been helping his father farming vegetables since he was 12 years old, upon adulthood he ventured in cultivating ginger, which has a higher yield compared to other vegetables. One tonne of ginger seed pieces may yield 7-8 tonnes, in a bad crop 3-4 tonnes, which was enough to make ends meet. With decades of experience, Uncle Tan is very knowledgeable in ginger cultivation. He gradually expanded his land from 2 acres to dozens of acres, hiring workers to help in farming, and producing plenty of ginger seed pieces. There are four types of ginger originating from Indonesia, Sabah, Laos, and Vietnam. Sabahan ginger is most popular in Banting, as it is more flavourful and disease-resistant.

Weather plays an important role in ginger cultivation, too little or too much rainfall impacts ginger yields, whereas drought causes maldevelopment or withering. Crop rotation is also critical to preserve the productive capacity of the soil. After harvesting ginger, crops such as corn, bananas, and sweet potatoes are then planted in succession before another batch of ginger. The only exception is galangal which can be continually planted for 3-4 years before crop rotation. Aerial view of the Banting farms shows rectangular plots with a variety of crops. 

As the plots of Banting belong to different landowners or farmers, with limited types of crops which can be planted, the Selangor Coastal Vegetable Farmers’ Association is formed to protect their rights and interests. Whenever farmland becomes flooded, or farmers face land allocation problems, the association helps in dealing with government authorities to work out solutions. Over 200 members of the association cooperate and assist each other, exchanging information and insights in experimental agriculture projects. During harvest, they also unite to negotiate a fair price with distributors.

On the stretches of agricultural land in Banting, Uncle Tan and his four siblings, as well as his son, toil hard in their plots. Together with over 200 members of the Selangor Coastal Vegetable Farmers’ Association, who are like brothers without blood relationship, they make profit through ginger cultivation.

Text: Daniel Lim & Pua Hui Wen

有你 UNI Production
Producer : Mok Yii Chek
Coordinator : Daniel Lim
Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Evon Pang
Drone : Daniel Lim
Video Editor : Evon Pang
Production Assistant : Michael Lerk
Music : Wedding Film from AShamaluevMusic – YouTube

COPYRIGHTS 2020 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD

Buy us coffee