07/05/2026

THURSDAY | MAY 7, 2026

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Erratic weather no barrier for watermelon grower

‘Highways vital for economic growth’

KUALA LUMPUR: The construction of highways plays an important role in stimulating the country’s economic growth through job creation, support for supply chains and business opportunities, according to the Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA). “Once a highway is completed, facilities such as rest and relax areas are provided, which in turn open up opportunities for traders to conduct business. This indirectly expands economic activities and contributes to national economic growth,” said MHA director-general Mohd Hadzmir Yusoff. He was speaking on the sidelines of Bernama TV’s Ruang Bicara programme “Needs and Challenges of Urban Highway Construction” on Tuesday. Mohd Hadzmir said the demand for highways remains high due to the increasing number of vehicles and congestion on urban roads. “For your information, we at MHA monitor daily traffic volumes of about six million.” He said increase in the number of new vehicles also puts pressure on existing road capacity. “Last year, we registered about 600,000 new vehicles. Where will these vehicles go if we do not build new highways?” On financing, he said highway development is carried out via a public-private partnership model. “Construction costs are borne by concession companies and recouped through toll collection. It is true that in the long term, even when we build highways, congestion may still occur. Therefore, we hope users will also use public transport.” IJM Corporation Bhd Toll division CEO Chua Lay Hoon said although building more highways does not solve congestion, Malaysians still tend to rely on private vehicles. – Bernama Efforts to boost island state water supply GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Water Supply Corporation will instal two 1.8m diametre main pipelines to channel more treated water from the Sungai Dua water treatment plant to the Southwest district on the island as part of efforts to strengthen water supply by 2030. Its CEO Datuk K. Pathmanathan said the project is a key component of Phase 3 of the Water Contingency Plan 2030, with an estimated total cost of about RM416 million involving pipe procurement, installation works, excavation and road restoration works as well as land acquisition costs. He said the first pipeline would connect the Sungai Dua water treatment plant to the connection point of the Penang Third Undersea Twin Pipeline Project (3rd PTSP) in Butterworth, involving a route of about 13km on the mainland. “The second pipeline will connect the 3rd PTSP landing point in the Macallum area to the Bukit Dumbar Reservoir and pump house complex.” – Bernama

o Leveraging on rainfall patterns in different parts of Peninsular Malaysia and making use of staggered planting, entrepreneur sustains year-round production

hectares nationwide, with a planting schedule of between 320ha and 480ha per month, enabling continuous supply. “Daily production is estimated at between 250 and 350 tonnes, depending on weather conditions, with farm management carried out systematically, involving hundreds of workers and dozens of supervisors across the country.” Koh said selecting seeds suited to the local climate has become a critical factor after various early trials failed to produce the desired quality. He said many of the seeds the company tried did not produce the required quality of fruits. “Now, we choose stable varieties that produce crunchy and sweet flesh, namely the Cinta Manis variety.” He added that each variety requires a different approach, including water and nutrient control as well as harvesting periods, to ensure optimal fruit quality, with some varieties harvested as early as 26 to 28 days after flowering. On the sector’s potential, he said it offers vast opportunities, especially for the young generation, as it could be developed into agro-tourism and open avenues in technology and research.

JASIN: Increasingly unpredictable weather is no longer a problem but an advantage for a local watermelon grower, who has been leveraging seasonal variations across the country to sustain year-round production. Watermelon entrepreneur Koh Eng Koon said differences in rainfall patterns between the northern and southern parts of Peninsular Malaysia allow for staggered planting, thus preventing supply disruptions in the market. “Based on my more than 30 years of experience in this field, I have observed that weather patterns in Malaysia shift from north to south. So, when it starts raining in the northern states, I shift planting to areas in the south. We follow the weather, not fight it. “Everyone knows that the weather is becoming more extreme, but if we understand the patterns and plan planting properly, we can still maintain supply.” Koh said it took him between five and 10

years to fully understand seasonal trends in a given area before being able to plan planting more precisely. He added that the strategy of planting across multiple states ensures that production remains unaffected while the risk of losses due to extreme weather in any single location is reduced. “We have farms in almost all states except Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak. At each location, we limit planting to around 300-500ha. This way, if one area is affected, we still have other locations as a backup,” said Koh, who started with just 1.6ha of land in Tiang Dua, Malacca, in the early 1980s. Koh said in Malacca, Koon Huat Agriculture, the largest farm operated by his company, is located in Tebonglang, covering about 80ha, Bernama reported. He added that through this strategy, his watermelon cultivation, particularly the Cinta Manis variety, now spans thousands of

Koh (left) said selecting seeds suited to the local climate is a critical factor in producing watermelons with crunchy and sweet flesh. – BERNAMAPIC

Sixteen Penang tourism products receive MyTQA recognition GEORGE TOWN: Sixteen tourism products in Penang have received the Malaysia Tourism Quality Assurance (MyTQA) recognition from the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry as of 2025, placing the state among those with the highest number of certified tourism products in Malaysia. The ministry’s Penang director Dr Annuar Mohamed said the namely Platinum, Gold and Silver, based on stipulated criteria and an evaluation process conducted by appointed panels, with final approval by the ministry’s top management. “There are seven MyTQA TOP Penang (Man-Made), Penang Hill (Eco-Tourism), Queensbay Mall (Shopping and Lifestyle), Kampung Agong (Eco-Tourism), Bertam Resort (MICE), Bertam Water Theme Park (Man-Made), The Habitat Penang Hill (Eco-Tourism) and The St Giles Wembley Hotel (MICE).” recipients were Entopia by Penang Butterfly Farm (Man-Made), Sunway Carnival Mall (Shopping and Lifestyle) and Picca Convention Centre (MICE) while the Silver recipients were Taman Herba Bertam (Man-Made), Ghost Museum (Man-Made), The Gold Souq (Shopping and Lifestyle), D’8000 Mini Golf Cafe (Man-Made) and

He added that applications for MyTQA recognition in 2026 for several new tourism products have been submitted, including Penang Waterfront Convention Centre, Penang History Gallery, Gurney Plaza, Umi Umi Penang and Penang River Cruise Juru. Meanwhile, Wong said the Discover Penang: MyTQA Stamp Collection Journey Programme is a new initiative by Penang Global Tourism in collaboration with the ministry and Tourism Malaysia, running from May 5 to Nov 30. – Bernama

categories, namely Culture and Heritage Tourism, Nature, Adventure and Eco-Tourism, Man-Made Tourism, Sports and Recreation Tourism, Shopping and Lifestyle Tourism, Aqua and Marine Tourism as well as Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE). “Among those that have achieved the Platinum classification are The

He was speaking at the launch of the Discover Penang: MyTQA Stamp Collection Journey programme at The Top @ Komtar on Tuesday, which was officiated by Penang Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai. He said the Gold classification

Wonderfood Museum (Man-Made). Annuar said MyTQA serves as an accreditation programme to assure tourists of the quality of tourism products while encouraging operators to continuously improve service standards.

recognition reflects the state’s strong commitment to delivering high quality tourism products and services, in line with national standards. He said MyTQA recognition was awarded under three classifications,