Mr. Manja
- Farmer From Kampung Semadang
- Has been doing plantation for a long time as it has passed from his ancestor
- Gained the knowledge & skills of farming from his parents
A family heirloom that has been passed down from one generation to another generation – Mr. Manja, from Kampung Semadang, has been doing plantation for a long time as it has passed from his ancestor. He has gained the knowledge & skills of farming from his parents. He works on plantations, mostly of cocoa trees, alongside his other three siblings. He believes that dedicating himself to plantations would provide him with a means of income.
Mr. Manja's Farm
Mr. Manja shared that the terrain of his farm is a flat area, however; it is vulnerable to flooding especially during wet seasons. The type of soil of his farm is sandy loam soil. Generally, this type of soil normally allows for good drainage. Mr. Manja uses a blue tank & a simple piping system as his water management system for his plantations.
Before he starts his plantation, Mr. Manja will cut and burn the field to prepare it for rubber & paddy plantation. Mr. Manja has been planting cocoa trees for almost 30 years. Normally, he would get his source of local seeds from Kota Padawan. Mr. Manja has varieties of crops in his farm such as cocoa, papaya, coconut, pisang keling, pisang emas, pisang embun, pineapple, durian, and jackfruit.
Challenges He Faced
Generally, fungi & banana weevil are the common problems Mr. Manja encountered during his plantations. The banana tree’s growth is stunted if pests are present. Meanwhile, the fungi may infect the cocoa tree. A pod rot called black pod is caused by a fungus (Phytophthora) that spreads rapidly on the pods under conditions of excessive rain and humidity, and insufficient sunshine. Occasionally, Mr. Manja would spray the infected tree using fungicide from Lembaga Koko. Mr. Manja uses NPK Green, fruiting fertilizer, & urea as his fertilizers for his plantations. Aside that, he would use gold coin malathion fungicide for the cocoa tree. Malathion is an insecticide used to control insects in agricultural or residential areas. Mr. Manja also planted several banana trees to provide some shade for certain plantations.
Cocoa
Mr. Manja shared that cocoas are being harvested continuously, depending on how ripe the fruit is. He would harvest & process the bean in his own housing area. This technique was done manually by plucking using sekateur. During post-harvesting, before he stores the cocoa, Mr. Manja will fermentate the cocoa & air dry the fruit before it is being transported to Lembaga Koko, Samarahan.
His Produces
Help manja
Little By Little, Little Becomes A lot
“Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous, and they are tied to their country and wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bonds.” ― Thomas Jefferson. We look forward to collaborating and assisting Mr. Manja and his family in sustainable farming and marketing more of his products and attracting more potential customers for his product through Farmily. Stay tuned for more updates on his journey towards sustainability!
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