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The Star
5 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Melosel, a uniquely S'gor gourd
(Front, from left) Wan Mohammad Zulkarnain, Kamarul, Azahar and Izham having a closer look at the fruiting melosel plants at Kampung Endah Agricultural Centre in Banting. Those who have tasted the melosel, a melon variety developed specifically for Selangor, have described it as sweet and crunchy like an apple. To connoisseurs, the delicate orange flesh is likened to maple syrup, best paired with thinly sliced cured meats and soft cheeses like brie and camembert. To promote this fruit, Selangor Agriculture Department held a two-day event called 'Kuala Langat Melon Day' for the first time at Kampung Endah Agricultural Centre in Banting, where the largest melosel farm with 10,000 plants is located. Visitors were allowed to go into the fertigation plots and pick their own fruits at a promotional price of RM10 per kg. Booths livened up the event, offering melon-based products such as ice-cream, juices, coffee, traditional kuih and pickles. The idea for pickles came about as Syed Muhammad Amirudin Syed Dawal wanted to rescue unripe fruits that did not meet quality standards. Syed Muhammad makes melon pickle from unripe fruit. He ended up winning not one but two innovation awards for his efforts. On the origins of the melon, guest-of-honour Selangor infrastructure and agriculture committee chairman Datuk Izham Hashim said: 'This is my baby.' In telling the history of melosel, Izham, who had just taken up his post as state executive councillor in 2018, recalled meeting Chua Kim Aik, a seed expert in Batu Arang. Chua is chief executive officer of Green World Genetics (GWG) Sdn Bhd, the only local company that conducts crop seed development studies in the country. 'I told him, I wanted a melon seed just for Selangor and specifically, the flesh must be orange in colour. 'This is because in the psychology of colour, orange induces hunger. Children enjoying melon ice-cream during 'Kuala Langat Melon Day'. 'I also told him that I wanted the melon to be sweet, fragrant and for its outer skin to be yellow so that it would look unique,' he said. Izham said Chua asked for two years to develop the seed, during which many plantings were carried out to ensure the seeds were stable enough to produce healthy plants. 'When Chua finally called, he had several clones ready for us to select. 'In terms of texture, there were two types – one was soft like the Yubari melon. 'Another was crunchy. We picked the latter,' said Izham. The seed was launched by Tengku Permaisuri Selangor Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin, who also gave the fruit its name. The result of the first crop of 500 seeds was successfully produced at Selangor Melon Farm in Sungai Besar, after two months from its planting in 2023. Falling within the Sabak Bernam Area Development Project, this would be the first location where the melosel was planted commercially using smart farming methods by local entrepreneurs. Sweet and crunchy melosel developed specifically for Selangor. 'At present, the melosel is categorised as a premium fruit, fetching a market price of RM15 per kg, the highest among locally grown melons,' said Izham. In answer to whether the fruit was ready for the export market, he said this market sector would have to wait until production was able to fulfil local demand, as the melosel was gazetted which meant it could only be planted in Selangor. Kamarul Iqbal Ismail, managing director of KMK Agro Global Produk which runs a melosel farm at Kampung Endah Agricultural Centre, said its production would be increased to 30,000 plants for the upcoming planting season. Also present at the event were Selangor Agriculture Department director Azahar Ibrahim and his deputy Wan Mohammad Zukarnain Baharudin.
Axios
23-07-2025
- Health
- Axios
Gwinnett faces debate over funding faith-based pregnancy center
Reproductive rights advocates do not want Gwinnett County commissioners to allocate nearly half a million dollars in public funding to a faith-based nonprofit that steers pregnant people from abortion. Driving the news: Gwinnett will have a public hearing Wednesday on a proposed federal funding package for area nonprofits, including the Georgia Wellness Group. Zoom in: Georgia Wellness Group (GWG) is planning a 12,560-square-foot facility in Gwinnett offering pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, STI screening and mental health services. Registered in 2014 as the Pregnancy Resource Center of Gwinnett, GWG was most recently an affiliate of nonprofit crisis pregnancy centers called Obria, CEO Robin Mauck told Axios. Obria and the PRCG have served more than 26,000 people since 2006, she said. By the numbers: $400,000 of the county's federal grant funding would support a "maternity home" for pregnant women in crisis. The remaining $50,000 would fund pediatric and behavioral and mental health care, county documents show. Mauck said the center would include an OBGYN, registered nurses, certified medical assistants and sonographers and abide by HIPPA privacy laws. Yes, but: Crisis pregnancy centers do not offer abortion services or referrals. Critics say the centers target underserved people, prioritize ideology over science and delay access to abortion. Context: Georgia law bans abortions after fetal cardiac activity is detected — often before people realize they are pregnant. What they're saying: Georgia state Rep. Marvin Lim (D-Norcross) told Axios he thinks crisis pregnancy centers mislead the public, especially vulnerable communities, by presenting themselves as unbiased reproductive health clinics. Lim, who is also opposed to the funding award, said Gwinnett and Georgia should focus limited federal funding on other groups to address the state's maternal health deserts and high rates of maternal mortality. State of play: In an advocacy guide for supporters, SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW called on county officials to instead back "evidence-based, real healthcare, not fake clinics with a religious and anti-abortion agenda."
The Sun
03-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
KPKM committed to developing corn grain industry
ARAU: The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) remains committed to implementing a comprehensive corn grain industry development programme nationwide as part of efforts to reduce import dependency and stabilise the price of livestock feed in the country. Its Secretary-General, Datuk Seri Isham Ishak, said one of the locations that has demonstrated notable success in corn grain cultivation is the Chuping Valley Industrial Area (CVIA) near Padang Besar, which is being developed by Green World Genetics Sdn Bhd (GWG) and FGV Chuping Agro Valley. 'This is a proven success story, and we plan to apply the same standard operating procedures (SOPS) to other selected areas. 'Corn grain is crucial as it serves as a key component in livestock feed, particularly for poultry and ruminants such as cattle,' he told Bernama after visiting farms and focus projects in Perlis here today. Meanwhile, he said the ministry was also looking at harnessing the potential of youth in driving the agricultural industry, particularly in grain corn cultivation, through structured training programmes and strategic collaborations with private sector partners. 'GWG, for example, trains many young people and we found that their marketability is very high. The training provided is not just planting, but includes farm management, logistics and marketing. This is important to make agriculture a competitive career,' he said. Isham also encouraged more school leavers to consider agriculture as a viable and promising profession, career, pointing out the existing support infrastructure provided by the government and industry stakeholders. 'The support system is already in place; what's needed is the willingness of young people to explore this sector. 'Many of our farmers today have achieved remarkable success, proving that agriculture is a stable and sustainable career path,' he said.
