Firm to boost production of vanilla

Monday November 3, 2008
Firm to boost production of vanilla

LANCHANG: The country’s first vanilla plantation company based in the East Coast Economic Region (ECER), Rentak Timur Sdn Bhd, aims to produce 300 tonnes of vanilla by 2010.

Its chief executive officer Syed Isa Syed Alwi said this constituted 15% of global market demand.

He said, to boost production, the firm would collaborate with Vanilla Biomatrix Sdn Bhd to operate contract farms in the country.

“These farms will be spread out and comprise over 1,000ha planted with five million vanilla plants over the next two years.

“Our partnership will see more than 3,000 farmers involved in vanilla farming.

“It will generate an average income of RM3,000 a month from every 0.2ha with 1,000 vanilla plants,” he said in a press statement recently.

Syed Isa said their firm currently produced 1,500kg of vanilla extract per day.

He added that the company adopted a super-critical fluid extraction techno­logy which controlled pressure and temperature of the solvent fluid so that its density would be altered to between gas and liquid.

“This way, the purest-quality vanilla can be extracted with no residual contamination from chemicals.

“We started vanilla agriculture and research activities at a 1.5ha farm in Singaraja, Bali, in 2002,” he said, adding that the project was a collaboration with a vanilla producer with over 30 years experience.

Syed Isa said, after years of research and testing, the firm had created an inte­grated system to farm, harvest and process natural vanilla.

“We have brought together qualified and recognised research teams in Malaysia, Indonesia and Europe to standardise vanilla cultivation and deliver the best seedlings to contract farmers and customers,” he said.

Incorporated in April 2004, Rentak Timur owns and operates a 60ha farm in Kechau, Lipis.

Vanilla is the second-most expensive spice after saffron, and is used as a flavour enhancer in desserts, ice cream, confectionery, chocolate and liquor.

It is also used in perfumes.

The aggregate global demand for vanilla is estimated at 2,000 tonnes a year, especially for high-quality vanilla flavouring.

Madagascar dominates the world’s vanilla production with a 60% global share, followed by Indonesia with 21%.

The Star