When the pandemic caused business to slow down for their small event agency, Ben Rayappan A/L David William Jayaraj and Alvin Hoo Yan Weng decided to pursue a field that is different from their paper qualification. While the two share a love for events, they have also expressed an interest in agriculture but never took the leap of faith.
Ben Rayappan A/L David William Jayaraj, who graduated with a Bachelor of Mass Communication (Hons) Broadcasting from INTI International University, shares that chillies are one of the local crops with the highest value, selling for up to RM30 per kilogramme during peak season.
Ben and Alvin, who are both from Seremban, never crossed paths with each other until they pursued the Bachelor of Mass Communication (Hons) programme at INTI International University in Nilai. After working together on various freelance events, they became close and eventually formed an events company that caters to small private functions.
“The events industry unfortunately slowed down due to COVID-19, so there was not much work that we could do in our chosen field. Instead of sitting around and waiting for the pandemic to be over, we started to think about how we could apply our skills to farming,” said Ben.
After conducting research and seeing how the price of fresh vegetables had increased in the weeks after the Movement Control Order (MCO), the two saw an opportunity in the small chilli pepper known to locals as the cili padi, or bird’s eye chilli. With an idle piece of land belonging to Ben’s mother at their disposal, they finally set out on their agricultural journey in June 2020.
“Chilli is one of the highest valued local crops. A kilogramme of chilli can be sold for RM25, while during peak seasons it can fetch up to RM30. Space was another factor for us. Operating on a quarter acre commercial lot was a feasible attempt. Vegetables such as sawi (mustard greens), cucumber, and lettuce command a very low price for their yield.
“Other high value crops such as pineapples and rock melon are seasonal crops and do not yield year-round like chilli. Then of course there is the factor of temperature for crops such as strawberries which is more suited for cooler climates such as Cameron Highlands,” he shared, adding that when he was younger his father used to rear free-range chicken and ducks as a side income.
According to Ben, he and Alvin have spent a total of RM40,000 to get the business started and the costs quickly added up to acquire thermometers, electrical conductivity (EC) meters, and pH meters that are essential to monitor crop temperature, nutrient level, and water pH level. Other items they needed to spend on include industrial water pumps, irrigation lines, solar panels, plant food, soil conditioners, fly paper and insect nets for pest control.
Meanwhile, Alvin admitted that their new venture was not as easy as throwing seeds into soil and watching them grow. In fact, everything in farming was a challenge.
Ben Rayappan A/L David William Jayaraj (left) and Alvin Hoo Yan Weng (right) tend to their cili padi farm daily. They admit that farming is no walk in the park and is more like an outdoor science experiment with too many factors that cannot be controlled.
“Farming is no walk in the park. Modern farming is pretty much a science. Just think of it as an outdoor science experiment with too many factors you cannot control. Weather is a big challenge. Too much rain can erode soil nutrients, change our watering ration, reduce plant flowering, and promote parasite growth. Wind also is a factor – high winds can break branches and damage trees. Pests can eat your crops, spread plant disease, and reduce crop yields. There are just so many things that can go wrong. Maybe this is why we keep doing it. In the events industry we were expected to solve problems and put out fires daily and in a way we kind of miss that,” he said.
He shared that chillies can be planted for two seasons a year and it takes about a month from transplanting the seedling until they start flowering. The yield slowly picks up till its peak at the fourth month after which it starts dropping, signalling the end of the season. Picking the chillies is a monotonous and back-breaking work and at best a person can only pick around 10 kilogrammes a day.
“During a perfect season we can yield up to 1.6 tonnes of chilli, but that number is good on paper, not so much in reality. As I mentioned, heavy rain can damage fruit laden branches and wash away flowers. Less flowers means less fruit,” added Alvin, who majored in Public Relations at INTI.
Although they currently only supply their chillies to neighbourhood grocery stores, restaurants and a few household customers, Alvin and Ben aspire to someday produce enough to cater to big chain stores. This would require more land for a bigger and more consistent crop harvest. When asked about setbacks they have faced so far, Ben said harvesting chillies has been difficult during the Movement Control Order (MCO).
“Government regulations restrict working in large groups. Harvesting cili padi is not an easy task, especially if the weather is not in our favour. The demand for cili padi is high but the supply is low, so we are put to the test to deliver our orders to customers on time,” said the Broadcasting major, adding that one of their biggest success to date is supplying their chillies to Pasar Borong Selayang.
Ben Rayappan A/L David William Jayaraj (left) and Alvin Hoo Yan Weng (second from left) pose with team members with a view of their cili padi farm in the background.
While they lacked the technical skills required for cili padi farming, Alvin said their Mass Communication background helped with other aspects of their new business.
“In terms of technical skills, it was pretty much jumping into the deep end of the pool for me. However, I wouldn’t say that my education didn’t help. Our background in Mass Communication has helped with the distribution and marketing end of the business. While traditional farmers may be at the mercy of middlemen and big corporations to distribute their crop and are subjected to the pricing set by these corporations, we have managed to bypass that and effectively cut out the middleman,” he said.
Ben shared the same sentiment, saying that whatever they learned in university has come in handy in not only dealing with customers but also promoting their produce. He said the whole farming experience was similar to their Final Year Project – something which required patience, research, and networking.
“It is very important to research on the particular business before jumping into it. We did our research, we interviewed people who have already been in the business for a long time and once we had basic knowledge, we started. In any business, we need to do a SWOT analysis which sums up our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. We learned this from our lessons at INTI,” said Ben.
Despite the challenges that came their way, Alvin and Ben have never felt like throwing in the towel. Instead, it is during the difficult times that they motivate themselves and the team to keep hustling. In fact, they are looking to expand and diversify their business in the future.
“We are definitely on the lookout for expansion opportunities. We’re looking into crops such as long beans and other staples. We’re also considering trying out hydroponics. Who knows, in the future we might even consider beekeeping or raising turkeys for the Christmas season. The plan is to have a sustainable supply of produce to be able to take orders from big name grocers and we also want to have our own farm to table grocery delivery service!” Alvin concluded with a smile.