SEPANG DRAGON FRUIT - VIRAL

SEPANG DRAGON FRUIT ASSOCIATION recently made a viral story in Malaysia regarding their activity. The Sepang Dragon Fruit Association chairman Lee Chin Heng said the fruit was meant for something bigger following strong support from the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry. Already he said that Sepang (including Sungai Pelek and Salak) had become the hometown of dragon fruits in Selangor and Malaysia with an area of 404.8ha of plantations with a harvest of 1,000 tonnes a month that able generating an estimated RM300 million revenue a year. After uniting dragon fruit farmers in Sepang over the past seven years they believe that it is time for us to add value to dragon fruit by working with other sectors to reach greater heights. They claim that the success story of durian has inspired them in which they believe that by combining agriculture and tourism, we can better promote dragon fruit, which is a life-saver for Sepang as it is a healthy fruit to eat. Lee said this at the Sepang Tourism and Dragon Fruit Carnival in Taman Seri Sepang in Sepang New Village. He added that Sepang could also double up as a tourist gateway for visitors to Malaysia. This article in "Anim Agriculture Technology" blog I rewrite this report as source of references. Dragon fruit can become a star to promote Sepang's agro-tourism as the produce is of high quality and taste. Through this carnival in which the association hopes to promote dragon fruit as a brand and for Sepang to become synonymous with it. The association was established in 2007 before being officially registered in 2019. At that time most of the dragon fruit had a major virus attack severly and they helped affected farmers. Today the farmers are ushering in the post-Covid-19 pandemic era and they hope dragon fruit farming can offer a new opportunity for the tourism industry and revenue for farmers. Most of them praised the ministry's efforts to introduce good agricultural practices to dragon fruit farmers. Farmers are taking part in the Malaysia Country Road Fun Ride at the carnival. Apart from visiting the carnival, visitors could also travel to tourist attractions in Sepang to experience local customs and culture, while trying out its traditional food and beverages. Sungai Pelek assemblyman Ronnie said to boost Sepang's tourism, he had proposed that dragon fruit be aggressively tagged with the district as a landmark. So he said when people hear about Sepang, they will know it as a dragon fruit centre. He added that the carnival activities allowed visitors to better understand dragon fruits and their surrounding tourism. Among the activities were the Malaysia Country Road Fun Ride, which took visitors through dragon fruit orchards, restaurants and mangrove wharves. Now more visitors can learn more about the environment, enjoy the cool sea breeze along Sunset Paradise on Bayan Lalang beach, take part in leisure activities in Kampung Banghuris, and try out New Village cuisine. The scenic spots and township customs of Sepang and Sungei Pelek can also be explored on bicycle. The Awesome Malaysia Camping at Sunset Paradise offers visitors a two-day, one-night beachside camping experience. Parents and children can watch the sunset, have a seaside campfire and enjoy the amusement park. The Sepang Mars Base Tour is a guided event that allows tourists to enjoy the landscape which is similar to that on Mars. Thanks. Source: NST

By,

M Anem,

Putrajaya,

Malaysia.

(October 2023).