Latest news with #Tenom
Daily Express
17 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Express
A heart to keep fire of ‘Tenom Coffee' burning
Published on: Sunday, June 08, 2025 Published on: Sun, Jun 08, 2025 By: Kan Yaw Chong Text Size: Freshly-picked coffee cherries being sun dried in Padas Farm. TENOM Coffee is a household name in Sabah. It owes its reputation largely to the special aroma and smoky coffee flavour due to a guarded old tradition of wood-fire bean roasting practice. However, cultivation of coffee, mainly Robusta in this so-called 'Sabah's Coffee Capital' had reportedly declined from previous decades, counting no more than a few hundred hectares now. Advertisement But there is a willing heart to do the hard part to rejuvenate coffee planting. Tenom-born and patriot, Tham Yau Siong, brother of well-known adventure tourism veteran Yau Kong, has spent some years rallying a group of enterprising local land owners to get into the coffee planting act to keep the Tenom Coffee reputation going. Trend of surging global coffee culture is clear Actually, nobody can miss the trend of a rising global coffee drinking culture. Advertisement Look at the global size of the coffee industry. The global market size was USD245.2 billion in 2024, which is anticipated to reach USD381.52 by 2034, rising at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 4.32pc from 2025 to 2034. The escalating adoption of coffee drinking culture globally is leading this coffee market. The growth is fuelled by rising demand, driven by rising disposable incomes, change of lifestyles and a growing coffee culture worldwide, hopefully uninterrupted by conflicts and wars from geopolitical tensions. Given rising prices and a surging global coffee drinking culture and a willingness of Tenom coffee growers to take serious care of coffee plants, Tham argues coffee planting now makes economic sense. Nearer home to the north, coffee consumption in China, which vows a rejuvenation policy of 'Shared Future and Prosperity' for all, coffee consumption had reportedly surged 150pc over the last 10 years! The news is coffee imports had nearly tripled to 5.5 million bags (60kg) and expected to rise to rise to 5.6 million bag by 2025. Since China can produce only two million bags domestically because of limiting climatic factors, they must import the demand-exceeds-supply reality to satisfy this explosive growth in consumption. 'Prospective income & cost – the winner on the revenue side': Tenom patriots Tham sees not only opportunities opening for Tenom patriots to help keep the fire of Tenom coffee burning, but also cite numbers that pay for serious planters who accept doing hard things on the care side. Speaking from tried and tested field experience, Yau Siong said: 'If you take care of a coffee tree well, like diligent pruning, consistent fertilising, shading from excessive heat, one tree can produce 5kg dry beans per tree per year and at current price of RM24 per kg where we can plant 400 trees per acre at 10x10ft apart, means you get a revenue of RM48,000 per acre per year. If you plant just two acres, income is potentially RM96,000 per year, while the cost of production is about 50% of that so income is on the winning side, provided you are willing to do the hard part and take care of the trees seriously,' stressed Yau Siong, President of the 20-strong Tenom Coffee Entrepreneurs Association or Persatuan Pengusaha Kopi Tenom in Malay, formed in 2019. Plant essential nutrient-rich alluvial soil from ancient lake & high yield But a yield of 5kg per tree per year as asserted is extraordinarily productive. Yet it may not be surprising because geologically, it is believed Tenom was once flooded under a vast ancient lake, then over thousands and millions of years, the cutting action of water from the Padas River, maybe through a waterfall, broke a gap across the Crocker Range, drained the lake empty, carving out a deep gorge called the Tenom Gorge, leaving behind a huge area of nutrient-rich alluvial soil deposit that is rich in plant essential nutrients like potash, lime and phosphorous acid, making them highly fertile, typically well drained though lacking in nitrogen and organic matter, howbeit the nutrient content may differ with some areas rich in calcium, sodium, potassium, silicon and phosphorus. Since a coffee plant starts flowering in seven months, revenue generation is not a marathon wait either, Yau Siong noted. Optimistic that a serious 'just do it' effort can succeed, Yau Siong drove Daily Express to his 22-acre farm by the bank of a pristine Paal river, for an onsite showcase to prove Tenom can produce a lot more coffee beans locally and makes the money! 'Productive pruning prospers a caring coffee planter': Tham Here is a list of care a serious coffee planter would do to succeed. One, pruning. Diligent pruning coffee plants is essential for a number of reasons, including keeping plants healthy, improve yields, facilitate harvesting, control growth, ensure proper light and air circulation , control pests and diseases, Yau Siong cited. Firstly, prune to control height and shape. To prove what has already been done, he stood beside a coffee plant that is no taller than himself – about 3m, and said: 'This is the result of one important top pruning measure to keep my trees no taller than myself (6ft) for easy reach to harvest berries. 'Harvesting will become a nightmare if you let your tree grow wild – too tall and too big.' Cut the unproductive 'Secondly, cut unnecessary branches, such as sprouting young shoots that suck up a lot of nutrients but don't fruit. Prune to keep the larger stronger productive arms to ensure bigger and healthier berries.' Everything he said in the field trip is confirmed by an educational article on 'why pruning a coffee plant is essential'. All agree that dense, unpruned growth can block sunlight, photosynthesis and airflow, hindering the plant's ability to produce flowers and fruits, while removal of unnecessary branches ensures needed light and air to reach all parts of the tree, boosting all round health and productivity. Coffee trees age and need rejuvenation, somehow, pruning not only excites growth of new, more vigorous shoots which are more productive than ailing woody branches but also extends a tree's productive life for years, it is noted. Nip sickness & disease in the bud And, since pruning also removes dead, diseased and damaged branches, it helps the planter detect early signs of disease outbreaks, nip them in the bud to reduce production losses. 'Conventional planters don't feel the need to service the plant but now we want to keep our trees at certain height by pruning,' Yau Siong kept at it. The May 27-8 DE visit was a wholly instructive agro field trip on what it takes to improve yield and fruit quality, controlled pruning control to ensure proper light and nutrient distribution, and consistent fertilizing to improve both the quantity and quality of coffee beans produced that fits the bill of agrotourism. Climate change- beating an unexpected challenge From pruning, Yau Siong zeroed into climate change – a least expected problem in coffee planting but has become a real challenge to reckon with. But how? 'Look at the shade trees,' he said. 'Shading is necessary now because of climate change. 'In the past, planters dismissed the need for shading, they argued coffee trees could stand the sun but now we must accept that climate change is a fact. When it is hot, it gets very hot, when the sun is too hot, it withers leaves, injures the tree, disease comes, production affected.' To impress on this reality, he took me to an unshaded tree which had a lot of berries but they were small while the leaves had turned yellowish, withering and folding. 'So, I have to plant shade trees to filter at least 30pc to 40pc of the sunlight to create a conducive environment to help them. 'On the other hand, coffee is conducive integrated farming, we can plant fruit trees for shading but that's something to think about later,' he added. Robusta thrives in Tenom, not Arabica On coffee facts, Tenom is limited to Robusta coffee which thrives only in warmer temperatures and Tenom is warm at an average altitude of 577m (1,900ft), a tropical region where 22-30C (72-86F) is considered the optimal temperature range. Since Robusta does not tolerate temperature above 32C, it imposes a need to plant shade trees, that's the real cost of climate change for stubborn climate change deniers to think about. Robusta and Arabica are the two main types of coffee beans Though Arabica coffee is more preferred due to its smoother, sweeter and more nuanced flavour compared to Robusta, Arabica needs an optimal 18-21C (64-70F) for quality and yield, that is, it needs much cooler altitudes between 1,200-1,860m (4,300-6,000ft) which rules Tenom out for planting. But the point of this Special Report is a determined move is underway to fortify Tenom as a strong coffee bean production region. 'We already started on the production side and think downstream to add value by the possibility of eventually putting tourism into the picture. The idea is to make coffee production worth more for the coffee farmer. Tourists may do the trick Yau Siong cited two practical concepts that are 'very common' in Taiwan. One, Deep tourism. Two, Agro-tourism. Deep tourism refers to a mindset or approach to travel that emphasises meaningful, immersive (completely involved) and transformative experiences beyond its surface level, deep engagement with a destination, its culture and history, fostering a more profound understanding and appreciation. Agro tourism involves experiencing agricultural areas and farms. It encompasses elements like farm stays, U-pick operations, farm tours, workshops, farm-to-table dinner and festivals. These elements allow visitors to engage with farming practices, learn about local food production, immerse themselves in rural life, while providing farmers with additional income streams. A five-fold income boosting Taiwanese showcase Yau Siong believes value adding packages can help bring back coffee bean production in Tenom because of a potentially more lucrative industry. He cited a lime farm in Taiwan he knew. Before they started agro-tourism, the income was one million Taiwanese dollar from just lime production alone. After creating an agro tourism package, income rose to 4-5 million, with elements like educational courses for visitors, U-pick operation, or pruning when not fruiting, fertilization, spraying, yet they are not afraid of exposing trade secrets, in fact better, because when visitors see minimal use of chemicals, they help spread the good word-wow, environmentally friendly programme with minimal use of chemicals, the fruits must be good for consumption, sales improve. In this way, whether the lime farm is fruiting or not, it still has visitors and cash flows from agro-tourism,' Yau Sing argued. A clear agro-tourism vision to prosper The Taiwanese example inspires a vision for Tenom coffee. 'My point is we don't just talk about a product, but besides being an agro product, it is a tourism element, visitors come, they drink a cup of coffee produced at site, then see the process, from planting to to drinking, we bring them to the farm, see the planting, and come May or June, join the pruning, experience how to prune. Come October, pick coffee berries, see how we dry coffee berries, the dehusking process, roasting coffee, till drinking the coffee,' Yau Siong described his dream to Daily Express . So, keeping Tenom's reputation as 'Sabah's Coffee Capital' in the fuller sense of the word is on the way. The potential is not far-fetched on account of the rising global coffee culture, given a rising coffee drinking culture, such as an explosive growth in demand in China, which we have already highlighted.
Malay Mail
24-05-2025
- Health
- Malay Mail
MoH dental van crashes with 10-tonne lorry en route to rural clinic, no serious injuries reported
TENOM, May 24 — Seven dental personnel from the Ministry of Health (MoH) had a frightening experience when the van they were travelling in collided with a 10-tonne lorry on Jalan Kampung Mamaitom this morning. The incident, which occurred at around 8.10am, involved a mobile dental clinic van believed to be en route to deliver treatment services to a rural area. According to Tenom Fire and Rescue Station chief, Assistant Fire Superintendent Mudi Pengira, the station received a distress call at 8.29am, prompting the dispatch of a five-member emergency response team to the scene. 'Upon arriving at the scene, the team found that the crash involved a MoH mobile dental van and a 10-tonne lorry, with eight individuals involved in total,' he said. He added that one person — the lorry driver — was rescued by the fire brigade and later handed over to ambulance personnel for further treatment after showing signs of trauma. He said all other individuals involved did not sustain any injuries.
Daily Express
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Express
Kimberley wins Sugandoi Kaamatan 2025 crown
Published on: Saturday, May 24, 2025 Published on: Sat, May 24, 2025 By: Ricardo Unto Text Size: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan presents the prizes to Kimberley, as organising chairman Datuk Evaristus Gungkit looks on. – Pic by Ricardo Unto | Daily Express PENAMPANG: Kimberley Myra Terence, who represented Beluran, was crowned the winner of the State Sugandoi Kaamatan 2025 competition during the grand finale at the KDCA Hall here on Friday. She took home RM10,000, a trophy, and other sponsored prizes. Farhana Naslyn Suhaili, who represented Tenom, and Pasqueletta Joan Paulus (KDCA Putrajaya) secured second and third place respectively. Farhana received RM7,000 and a trophy, while Pasqueletta took home RM5,000 and a trophy. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Star
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Kelantan govt must take sex crimes against children more seriously, says PKR youth delegate
JOHOR BARU: The Kelantan government should treat sexual crimes against children as a serious matter rather than just brushing off the facts, says a PKR youth delegate from the state. Rantau Panjang PKR division youth chief Mohamad Ezzat Zahrim Mohd Hanuzi said the Kelantan police chief recently revealed that the number of rape cases in the state increased last year from 2023. 'However, a state assemblyman denied the police statement. 'How can you, as an assemblyman from an Islamist party, brush that off? You should be ensuring the safety of children,' he said during the debate portion of the central PKR youth wing congress at a hotel here on Friday (May 23). He urged the Kelantan government to be more self-aware and make a greater effort to tackle sexual crimes against children and protect the underage. Ezzat Zahrim also highlighted issues faced by secondary school students stemming from family problems. Sharing his recent engagement with Form Two and Form Three students at a school in Kelantan, he said the young have been exposed to pornography, premarital sex, ketum and substance abuse. 'I am sure this is not a Kelantan issue but it is happening elsewhere, too. This is a pressing social issue. 'This calls for basic sex education in schools,' he added. Youth delegate Aljakalil Biou from the Tenom division in Sabah said political stability under the unity government had been beneficial to the state. 'Sabah is known for party hopping, but with the unity government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, there is stability. 'The issue that is important to Sabahans is the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63). 'In just three years, almost all the MA63 matters have been realised, except for a handful –but that is more than what was done before this, and this is because of political stability,' he said in his speech. Elections for the PKR central leadership council, Angkatan Muda Keadilan (youth) leadership council and Wanita PKR leadership council were conducted from 8am to 5pm Friday, with the results to be announced on Saturday (May 24).
Free Malaysia Today
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Zahid warns of ‘wolves in sheep's clothing' in Sabah
Barisan Nasional chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi arriving at a BN event today in Tenom, Sabah. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA : Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has called for caution as talks are held on an alliance for the coming Sabah state elections, warning of 'wolves dressed in sheep's clothing'. Zahid, who is also Barisan Nasional chairman, said BN was open to talks but would only work with parties that shared the same goals, namely to develop the nation and unite Malaysians. 'We have never completely closed off, but we should not open our doors too wide because there are wolves in sheep's clothing trying to enter and destroy our home,' he said, Bernama reported. 'The best option is cooperation between BN, Pakatan Harapan and like-minded parties,' he said at an Umno event today in Tenom, Sabah. Zahid said BN must embrace power-sharing given the global trend of multiple political parties cooperating to form governments. He said he had studied the matter and found that multilateral coalitions had been formed in 77 countries. 'We must not be greedy for power… We must be confident in sharing power for unity, harmony, and political consensus, and that is the best way forward for us,' Zahid said. BN and PH have announced an alliance for the state assembly elections, expected by the end of the year, while talks continue on including the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah. Earlier this week, Zahid said several meetings had been held with GRS but BN was open to talks with other local parties.
