Dr. Hashim's JofHappiness: Visit to a Coconut Smallholding in Kuala Selangor

The dwarf kelapa pandan palm

1. It was the interest in agriculture that made me accept the invitation of Dato' Kamaruddin Kachar (Dato KK) to accompany him to visit a farm in the coconut growing region in Kuala Selangor on Wednesday December 16, 2015. Dato KK has a three acre land in Kg Sungai Ramal Luar Kajang where he is cultivating the vacant unplanted two acre for a crop that will give him good return. Potential crops include bananas, agar wood and coconuts. The visit to the smallholding was basically to get a first hand knowledge on the growing and economic potential of kelapa pandan as an agricultural activity. The coconut smallholding is owned by Mr. Zahriman Alias, who was a retired police officer, born and went to school in the same small town as Dato KK i.e. Rembau in Negeri Sembilan. Mr. Zahriman briefed the group how he has acquired the farm in 1994. He was then the Deputy OCPD of the Kuala Selangor Police Contingent and sent words around that he was interested in purchasing land in the district. This piece which was then planted with oil palm with a six room wooden house was up for sale by a smallholder who was having marital problem and wanted cash for the sale immediately. Due to the circumstances the transaction was done very quickly and RM 48, 000 changed hands. Mr. Zahriman decided to grow 'kelapa pandan' and in addition, he has also gown pomelo and other citrus species, an apple mango tree, passionfruit and a lychee. He also constructed a chicken coop where he raised 'kampung' chicken and turkey. He demolished the old wooden house and rebuilt a concrete 4 room house where he resides permanently now.
2. The coconut palm is very much part of Malay culture and in the kampung, coconut is always part of the perennial tree orchard mixture. It is considered as a complete tree, providing materials for the construction of a house - the trunks being used for pillars, the leaves used as roof; the nuts are utilised as food; the juice of young nuts as tonic when having fever; the midribs of leaves as broom; the young shoot as vegetable; the roots have medicinal properties. Before the birth certificate existed, the coconut served as as a symbol indicating age of members of the household, as for each child born, a coconut seedling was planted. In the old days when an elderly person was asked of his age, he will point to the appropriate palm and said that he was as old as that tree.

3. I have also some nostalgic memories associated with coconut. When I graduated with a Diploma in Agriculture from the then College of Agriculture, Serdang I was posted as the Agriculture Assistant in-charge of the Federal Experiment Station Teluk Bharu, Hilir Perak in 1959 where coconut was the main crop being experimented. I recollected assisting and supervising Dr. Ajit Singh's experimental plots and in the laying down of fertilizer trials and Dr. N.T Arasu, the plant breeder, on the germplasm collection obtained from different coconut growing region in the world such as the Philippines and Sri Lanka; undertaking hybridisation and evaluating the various hybrid progenies generated. When the government launched the Coconut Replanting Scheme around 1962, I also assumed the additional tasks of being the first Supervisor of the Scheme for the Hilir Perak region, overseeing the old coconut in smallholdings being replanted with financial assistance from the Government under the Scheme. Time has really passed.