Farmers tap classical music, massages, to grow world's most expensive melons in tropical Malaysia

Record ID: 1611551

  • Title: Farmers tap classical music, massages, to grow world's most expensive melons in tropical Malaysia
  • Date: 15th April 2021
  • Summary: PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MONO FARM'S JAPANESE MUSKMELONS, SOME SLICED, ON TABLE VARIOUS OF STAFF TENDING TO JAPANESE MUSKMELONS IN MONO GREENHOUSE JAPANESE MUSKMELONS IN GREENHOUSE VARIOUS OF FARMER RUBBING JAPANESE MUSKMELON WITH SOFT GLOVE (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR AND CO-FOUNDER OF MONO FARM, SEH CHENG SIANG, SAYING: "Every single Japanese melon that you see in our farm is almost like a single art piece. This (is) one of the most important criteria and mostly difficult to maintain it. To make sure they have very nice appearance and netting, we have to make sure that nutrition, the watering and the fertiliser have to be very consistent and very precisely." SEH'S HAND CHECKING THERMOMETER MEASURING TEMPERATURE OF MUSKMELON SEH AND EMPLOYEE STANDING OVER MUSKMELONS (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR AND CO-FOUNDER OF MONO FARM, SEH CHENG SIANG, SAYING: "So we are setting up this Mono farm concept is to show to the Malaysian that a lot of Malaysian growers can produce premium and high quality, melons and others, tropical fruit." SEH UNHOOKING AND MOVING MUSIC SPEAKER SPEAKER MUSKMELONS ON VINES (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR AND CO-FOUNDER OF MONO FARM, SEH CHENG SIANG, SAYING: "We have been growing many different types of melons, including more than 10 types on Japanese melon. We are facing a lot of challenges, like, very hot weathers, the composition of the nutrition, the technical know-how on how to grow this Japanese melon. Until recently, we found the right variety, right nutrients, right (place) where to grow it." (MUTE) VARIOUS DRONE FOOTAGE OF MONO'S GREENHOUSES VARIOUS OF SEH CHOPPING UP JAPANESE MUSKMELONS (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR AND CO-FOUNDER OF MONO FARM, SEH CHENG SIANG, SAYING: "What I can only tell you is equal, if not better (to the Japanese melons grown in Japan). So, the seed is coming from Japan. We are exclusively bringing the seeds from Japan together with a seed supplier, and we are trying to simulate the growing condition, growing system from Japan to Malaysia. So, we did a few blind tests using our Japanese melon and imported Japanese melon. Believe it or not, you can't tell the difference." CUSTOMERS WALKING INTO MONO'S JAPANESE MUSKMELON GREENHOUSE CUSTOMERS TAKING PHOTOS OF JAPANESE MUSKMELONS WITH THEIR SMARTPHONES VARIOUS OF CUSTOMER SNIPPING OFF JAPANESE MUSKMELON WITH SCISSORS VARIOUS OF CUSTOMERS SPEAKING TO MONO STAFF CUSTOMERS CARRYING JAPANESE MUSKMELONS OUT OF GREENHOUSE CUSTOMERS AT TABLES TO GET JAPANESE MUSKMELONS WRAPPED (SOUNDBITE) (English) CUSTOMER, ELAINE CHOW, SAYING: "So yeah it's pretty interesting to know that as a Malaysian, we can actually grow Japanese grade melons in Malaysia itself. So it's quite an interesting and thorough experience where they bring us to the farm visit where they tell us the germination process and how to control the nutrient for each plant where only one plant, one melon is allowed to grow on one plant so that's quite an interesting process itself." STAFF WRAPPING JAPANESE MUSKMELON INTO BOX WRAPPING STATION, CUSTOMERS AT TABLES CUSTOMER WRAPPING CLOTH AROUND BOX CONTAINING JAPANESE MUSKMELON CUSTOMER TAKING PHOTO WITH SMARTPHONE/ CUSTOMER WRAPPING JAPANESE MUSKMELON INTO BOX AND POSING
  • Embargoed: 29th April 2021 04:33
  • Keywords: Japanese melon Malaysia Mono Farm fruit luxury goods orchard
  • Location: PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA
  • City: PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA
  • Country: Malaysia
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Human-Led Feature,Human-Led Stories
  • Reuters ID: LVA001E8RS57D
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: For the past 10 years, three Malaysian farmers have been perfecting the right concoction of nutrients and treatment to successfully grow Japanese muskmelons, one of the world's most expensive fruits, in Malaysia's hot, tropical weather.
    After constant experimentation and trials, the farmers at Mono in Malaysia's administrative capital Putrajaya are finally selling their prized luxury fruits of labour on the market.
    "Every single Japanese melon that you see in our farm is almost like a single art piece. This (is) one of the most important criteria and mostly difficult to maintain it. To make sure they have very nice appearance and netting, we have to make sure that nutrition, the watering and the fertiliser have to be very consistent and very precisely," said director and co-founder of Mono, Seh Cheng Siang.
    Seh and his colleagues also perform regular massages with a soft cloth or glove which is said to enhance the flavour. They also play classical music for the plants via speakers in the greenhouses, which they believe stimulates their growth.
    Muskmelons more adept to rather temperate climates, so growing them in the tropics was a challenge for Seh and his team. They learned the cultivation process of Japanese muskmelon through several trips to Japanese farms and pure trial and error.
    "We are facing a lot of challenges, like, very hot weathers, the composition of the nutrition, the technical know-how on how to grow this Japanese melon," said Seh, who also grows several other types of fruit at Mono.
    For their first official harvest, Mono sold around 200 of the 400 muskmelons they grew, each carefully selected by Mono staff. At an event held on April 10, Mono opened its greenhouses to a few dozen customers to come in and select their muskmelon of choice. They sell for 168 ringgits ($40.69) each, which is about a third of the price muskmelons imported from Japan usually sell for.
    "It's pretty interesting to know that as a Malaysian, we can actually grow Japanese grade melons in Malaysia itself," said customer Elaine Chow
    According to Mono staff, thanks to mostly online sales, their top 200 melons have already sold out.
    (Production: Ebrahim Harris)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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