Ijok: Nestled against the scenic Bintang Hijau Range, Kampung Klian Gunung in Ijok is gaining attention for its sweet, mud-free giant freshwater prawns-farmed in mountain-fed ponds that have become a vital source of income for a handful of villagers.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, although farmed, fans say these giant freshwater prawns-popularly known as ‘blue claw prawns’ or ‘si jenggo’-taste just as good as their wild counterparts. Sweet and free from any muddy aftertaste, their exceptional quality has stirred curiosity about the farmers’ secret.
Farmers in the village attribute their success to the use of fresh mountain spring water, channeled directly from a 300-meter-high waterfall into their prawn ponds. Using PVC and polyethylene pipes, oxygen-rich water from Lata Puteh is directed into the ponds, creating an ecosystem similar to the prawns’ natural habitat. The species’ scientific name is Macrobrachium rosenbergii.
“The water from Lata Puteh naturally contains dissolved oxygen from the waterfall’s splashes, which is a big advantage for me. It also saves costs since there’s no need to install water wheels or electric pumps to oxygenate the ponds. According to customer feedback, the prawns we farm here are not only sweet but also free from any muddy smell,” said prawn farmer Yusni Dahalan to Bernama.
Yusni, 48, has been in the business for six years, inheriting the trade from his family, who were among the first to farm freshwater giant prawns using mountain spring water some 25 years ago. Besides him, eight other farmers in the village are registered with the Selama District Council (MDS). He said the use of mountain water started due to the lack of piped water in the village at the time.
“We knew giant prawns fetched high prices, which motivated us to start farming them. But back then, our village didn’t have piped water-we depended on the waterfall for daily use. That’s when the idea to use it for the prawn ponds came about,” he explained.
Although only about 25 kilometers from the small town of Selama, Kampung Klian Gunung is considered a rural area and has largely been untouched by modernisation. Its pristine natural environment remains intact, making it one of the agrotourism spots in Perak.
The father of four currently manages eight ponds, each measuring 650 square meters and capable of housing around 10,000 prawns at a time. “We purchase 40-day-old juvenile prawns from a hatchery in Manjung and place them in each pond, allowing them to grow until they reach maturity at around five to six months, with each prawn averaging over 18 centimeters in length. We feed the prawns with specially formulated feed three times a day-about 1.2 kilogrammes (kg) per pond daily. This amount increases monthly as they grow,” said the Selama resident.
Yusni said he can harvest over 700 kg of prawns per cycle, which are sold directly to customers in Perak and neighboring states at RM80 per kg. “Demand is very high, and I still haven’t been able to expand to more distant markets,” he added, noting that he also offers prawn fishing activities for enthusiasts and visitors wanting to experience catching “si jenggo” themselves. Charging RM15 per hour, Yusni opens his ponds for this activity from Tuesday to Sunday, from 4 pm to 11 pm.
“Weekends and school holidays draw big crowds, mostly visitors wanting the thrill of catching these giant prawns. We also offer cooking services for the prawns they catch, with dishes like prawn noodle soup and prawn curry noodles,” he said, adding that meals are priced from RM20 and up.
Meanwhile, MDS President Nor Akmal Yang Ghazali said there are currently 300 mountain-water-fed prawn ponds in the Ijok subdistrict, operated by 68 registered farmers. “These mountain spring prawn ponds are valuable assets for MDS to promote in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2026. What makes them unique is the use of mountain water-something not available elsewhere,” he told Bernama.