Kuala lumpur: For most people, coconut husks are just waste that are burned or discarded, but for a retiree in Kampung Batu Hitam here, it is viewed as 'gold' that can generate substantial income through modern agricultural industry. Armed with experience and knowledge gained while serving at the National Kenaf and Tobacco Board, Wan Zamri Wan Ya, 61, has successfully transformed coconut husks into high-quality planting medium products that are now in high demand throughout Peninsular Malaysia.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Wan Zamri said he started working on coconut husk-based products nearly nine years ago after seeing the great potential of this waste material in the agricultural and ornamental plant sectors. "Now, I produce two main products namely coconut coir dust (cocopeat) for fertigation crops and chopped coir for the flower plant industry. I see this industry is still underdeveloped in Kelantan even though the demand is high because previously many entrepreneurs sourced coconut husk products from Thailand to be used as a planting medium," he told Bernama recently.
The former assistant economic affairs officer said the idea of producing coconut husk-based products initially arose for his wife's gardening needs before catching the attention of friends who were also interested in using the gardening medium. "From there, I saw that this business opportunity was big, especially in Kelantan because not many people are seriously pursuing it," he said.
According to him, the use of coconut husk dust and chopped husks can help retain soil moisture, in addition to having high water absorption capacity and being suitable as organic fertiliser to reduce agricultural costs. Wan Zamri said that the demand for his products is increasing and is now being marketed throughout Peninsular Malaysia, with the supply of coir obtained from local coconut farmers.
He also said that he is now able to process about two tonnes of coconut husk products per month, selling at RM12 for 70 litres of coconut husk dust and RM25 for 105 litres of shredded husk. "I don't sell by the kilogramme because the coir has different moisture levels, whether dry or wet," he added.