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Konservasi Sumber Air Untuk Penggunaan Masyarakat
Bidayuh di Bau Sarawak
Ahmad Shuib*
Sridar Ramachandran
Shazali Johari
Puvasegaran Kunasekaran
Pengenalan
Pada prinsipnya konservasi air merupakan tindakan yang diperlukan untuk melestarikan sumber
keperluan air. Namun dalam konteks kepentingan air, Agus et al. (2002) mengemukakan bahawa
penggunaan air hujan yang jatuh ke permukaan tanah secara efisien juga merupakan tindakan
konservasi. Strategi konservasi air diarahkan untuk peningkatan aliran air pada musim kemarau dengan
membuat simpanan stok air dan penggunaan secara berjimat dan sistematik. Dengan kesedaran bahawa
air merupakan sumber yang sangat sensitif kepada pencemaran, maka wajar bagi kita mengambil
inisiatif yang perlu bagi menangani sebarang permasalahan yang dihadapi. Salah satu daripada strategi
penting bagi memastikan sumber air dijaga oleh semua pihak ialah dengan meningkatkan kesedaran
dan kecintaan penduduk negara ini terhadap alam sekitar.
Hasil Penyelidikan yang dibiayai UNDP (2004), menunjukan masalah penduduk dengan punca
pendapatan yang tidak stabil hanya daripada aktiviti pertanian sahaja. Oleh itu, untuk meningkatkan
taraf hidup dan pendapatan penduduk kampung tersebut maka dirancangkan untuk menggunakan suatu
pendekatan dengan memberi penekanan kepada sumber innovasi untuk pembangunan modal insan
bagi meningkatkan pendapatan. Dengan adanya sumber semulajadi yang banyak, maka sektor
ekopelancongan boleh diwujudkan di kawasan tersebut iaitu program Inapdesa (Homestay) dan
seterusnya boleh membantu untuk meningkatkan kesedaran dalam penjagaan alam sekitar.
Penglibatan dalam Pelancongan Eko oleh Masyarakat Bidayuh, Bau
Untuk memastikan rancangan ini berjalan lancar, program pemasaran dan promosi perlu diwujudkan
untuk program ekopelancongan yang bertemakan konservasi air. Ini secara tidak langsung
mempromosikan program ekopelancongan dengan meningkatkan kedatangan pelancong tempatan dan
asing untuk menyertai program kesedaran kebudayaan dan warisan penduduk Bidayuh.
Masyarakat Bidayuh di Kampung Krokong Tringgus yang terletak 5 km barat daya pekan Bau, di
Bahagian Kuching, Sarawak iaitu dalam lingkungan 45 minit dari Bandaraya Kuching, Sarawak
mempunyai pelbagai kelebihan dalam menggunapakai elemen persekitaran semulajadi sebagai punca
pendapatan harian mereka. Terkini, kebanyakan pendapatan penduduk di kampong ini adalah melalui
* Corresponding author.
E-mail: [email protected]
Address: Bioresource and Environmental Policy Laboratory, Institute of Agricultural and Food Policy Studies, Putra
Infoport, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor.
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aktiviti pertanian seperti menorah getah, kelapa sawit, bersawah (padi huma), juga menangkap ikan
dan hasilan hutan. Selain itu juga, mereka juga berkemahiran dalam menghasilkan pelbagai produk
kraftangan yang berasaskan rotan dan juga manik. Masalah utama yang telah dikenalpasti oleh pihak
kami adalah kekurangan ilmu pendidikan dalam pemuliharaan bekalan air untuk kelestarian Inapdesa
mereka dan kekurangan ilmu keusahawanan yang diperlukan oleh masyarakat Bidayuh ini dalam
memasarkan produk Inapdesa mereka (Shazali, et al., 2015). Masalah bekalan air seringkali berlaku
semasa musim kemarau yang menyebabkan masalah kepada pelawat yang menginap di Inapdesa
mereka. Melihat kepada ruang dan peluang yang dimiliki oleh masyarakat Bidayuh ini untuk
meningkatkan taraf hidup mereka melalui program Inapdesa, melalui tinjauan awal, pihak kami
mendapati program Inapdesa berdekatan dengan alam semulajadi ini sangatlah berpotensi tinggi dan
boleh dikembangkan. Walaubagaimanapun, program tersebut memerlukan penjenamaan semula bagi
menjadikannya lebih berdaya saing dan kompetitif (Scanlon, et al. 2000). Peserta perlulah dibekalkan
dengan ilmu pemuliharaan dan konservasi air dan boleh mempertingkatkan penjualan penginapan
Inapdesa sepanjang tahun melalui konsep jenama pemuliharaan bekalan air semasa musim kemarau
yang menarik minat pelawat musim kemarau. Program Inapdesa ini boleh dipasarkan di kaunter
Informasi di Lapangan Terbang Kuching dan hotel-hotel yang berdekatan yang mana tempat alam
semulajadi ini menarik banyak pelancong dari luar negara saban hari.
Bila tiba musim kering atau kemarau maka bermulanya masalah air untuk penduduk kampung. Oleh
itu penduduk akan berjimat cermat dalam penggunaan air yang ada. Untuk rumah yang mengikuti
program Inapdesa (Homestay), maka kekurangan air ini akan menimbulkan masalah kepada pelawat
yang memerlukan air untuk aktiviti harian mereka. Jika dilihat statistik, semasa musim kemarau,
jumlah pelawat yang menginap di kampung tersebut sangat berkurangan disebabkan masalah bekalan
air bersih yang terhad sebab mereka sangat bergantung kepada aliran air gunung.
Rajah 1: Projek Takungan dan Penapisan Air Komuniti Bidayu, Kampung Krokong, Bau, Sarawak
Faedah yang akan diperolehi dari projek ini berbentuk penjimatan di dalam perbelanjaan penggunaan
air oleh masyarakat di sini. Pada musim kemarau setiap isi rumah terpaksa membelanjakan pada
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purata RM32 sebulan untuk mendapat sumber air yang dirawat untuk kegunaan harian. Melalui
projek ini setiap isirumah dapat menjimat sekurang-kurangnya 30% daripada perbelanjaan penggunaan
air yang dirawat. Jumlah penjimatan perbelanjaan setahun untuk keseluruhan masyarakat Kampung
Krokong melalui projek ini bernilai (0.3 x RM32) sebulan x 6 bulan x 800 isirumah = RM46,080.00
Oleh itu, terdapat keperluan untuk menguruskan bekalan air bersih dengan lebih baik dan efisen. Jika
tidak dilakukan sekarang maka ianya boleh menganggu pendapatan perniagaan Inapdesa. Pelancong
hari ini mempunyai kesedaran yang tinggi dan sangat mesra alam. Mereka akan memilih Inapdesa
yang bertanggungjawab terhadap alam sekitar. Dengan kesedaran konservasi air ini sebagai satu
projek, ia akan dapat mengurangkan kos operasi, meningkatkan kedatangan pelawat walaupun musim
kemarau dan meningkatkan ekuiti jenama koperasi yang mesra alam.
Program ini dapat memberi sumbangan ke arah mencapai matlamat dan strategi bagi melasterikan
program ekopelancongan di kawasan kampung tersebut di samping dapat meningkatkan pendapatan
penduduk luar bandar dan kualiti hidup mereka. Program ini juga boleh dicapai dengan adanya
penglibatan terus kepakaran daripada pihak universiti tempatan seperti Universiti Putra Malaysia
dalam menyalurkan maklumat dan ilmu pengetahuan mengenai konsep konservasi bekalan air dan
seterusnya keusahawanan yang mampan dan lestari supaya program dan produk yang dihasilkan oleh
mereka lebih berdaya saing dan diterima oleh segenap masyarakat.
Rujukan
Agus, F., T. Vadari, Sukristiyonubowo, B. Hermianto, J.P. Bricquet, and A. Maglinao. 2002.
Catchment Source and Land Management Systems Affect Water and Sediment Yields.
Proceedings of 12th ISCO Conference 26-30 May 2002, Beijing, China. pp. 469-475.
Harsfield, E. and Jemec, A. 2009. Water Purification in Rural South Africa: Ethical Analysis and
Reflections on Collaborative Community Engagement Projects in Engineering. International
Journal for Service Learning in Engineering Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 1-14, Spring 2009.
Scanlon, T. M., Raffensperger, J. P. and Hornberger, G. M. 2000. Shallow subsurface storm flow in a
forested headwater catchment: Observations and modeling using a modified TOPMODEL.
Water Resource Research, 36: 2575-2586.
Shazali J., Ramachandran,S., Ahmad S., Syamsul Herman M. A., and Kunasekaran, P. 2015 The Role
of the Bidayuh Community in Packaging Culture and Nature For Sustainable Indigenous
Tourism Product In Bau District, Sarawak. Editors Mazlina Mahdzar, Siow May Ling,
Madhavan Balan Nair & Ahmad Shuib. In Proceedings of The International Conference on
Natural Resources, Tourism And Services Management 2015. Kota Kinabalu Sabah
UNDP 2004. Biodiversity for Sustainable Development: Delivering Results for Asia and the Pacific
UNDP’s Biodiversity Financing (BIOFIN) program.
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Utilizing cultural and natural resources towards
sustainability of indigenous tourism: A case study of Mah Meri
community in Carey, Island, Malaysia
Puvaneswaran Kunasekaran
Sridar Ramachandran*
Sarjit S. Gill
Introduction
Tourism has been an important industry in Malaysia for a number of years (Musa, 2000) and
international arrivals reached 27.44 million and 25.70 million respectively in 2014 and 2015, compared
to 5.5 million in 1998 (Ministry of Tourism, 2012). Table 1 shows international tourist arrivals to
Malaysia and revenues received from 1998 until 2015.
Table 1: International tourist arrivals and receipts to Malaysia
Year Arrivals (million) Receipts (MYR billion)
1998 5.5 8.6
1999 7.9 12.3
2000 10.2 17.3
2001 12.7 24.2
2002 13.2 25.8
2003 10.5 21.3
2004 15.7 29.7
2005 16.4 32.0
2006 17.45 36.3
2007 20.9 46.1
2008 22.0 49.6
2009 23.6 53.4
2010 24.6 56.5
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
24.7
25.03
25.72
27.44
25.70
58.3
60.6
65.4
72
69.1
Source: Ministry of Tourism (2016)
* Corresponding author.
E-mail: [email protected]
Address: Bioresource and Environmental Policy Laboratory, Institute of Agricultural and Food Policy Studies, Putra
Infoport, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor.
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Growth rates have averaged around five percent since 2007, but slowed in 2011 due to adverse
economic conditions globally. Malaysia's popularity can be attributed to a rich natural and cultural
heritage and the diversity of attractions in the different states which make up the federation. The fact
that Malaysia is a multi-racial country with Malays, Chinese, Indians and various indigenous peoples
of Sabah and Sarawak living and working alongside harmoniously has become a selling point and is
heavily used to promote tourism in the country (Malaysia, Truly Asia campaign). However, in these
promotion the indigenous community is overlooked.
“To know Malaysia is to love Malaysia. A bubbling, bustling melting pot of races and religions
where Malays, Indians, Chinese and many other ethnic groups live together in peace and
harmony.” (Tourism Malaysia, 2012)
The promotional posters show the representative from Malays, Chinese, Indians and various
indigenous peoples of Sabah and Sarawak portraying their unique culture which can lure the
international tourists to visit Malaysia in order to experience the “all-in-one” cultural destination. Suet
Ching (2010) argued that the missing in the posters of ‘cultural package’ of the Orang Asli could be
purposeful or unintentional which can reflect a deeper, subtler, and hidden complexity in Malaysian
inter-ethnic relations. The omission of the Orang Asli image is still questionable whether the
government is serious in including the Orang Asli community in the mainstream tourism business.
This scenario can be regarded as a big threat to achieve sustainable indigenous tourism development in
Malaysia. King (1993) also argued that the way in which culture is constructed and manipulated are
also seen very clearly in the packaging and development of cultural tourism. Tourism promotion takes
place through a number of institutions but primarily through Tourism Malaysia and Ministry of
Tourism and Culture (MOTAC).
Literature Review
Cultural aspect in indigenous tourism has been a popular research area highlighting the indigenous
people and their unique and authentic lifestyle. In this area, commercialization of culture has brought
tourism attractions to be targeted especially on cultural celebrations. The culture of each ethnic by
indigenous people represents their identity. According to Butler and Hinch (2007), the development of
tourism strongly depends on their ethnicity, heritage and festivals. Butler and Hinch (1996) also
mentioned that culture has emerged as a powerful attraction not only for tourists but also for
entrepreneurs, government agencies and academic researchers.
Many scholars agree that the cultural product has proven to be a medium in boosting tourism
development (Brown and Cave, 2010; Cohen, 2007; Liu, 2009). Besemenji et al (2011) said that
tourism emerged as a good way of preserving the Ontario Indian customs and culture, but only if the
right people are involved and if tourism does not become a business for some individuals. Tourism can
also help in the promotion and presentation of Indian customs and cultures. This is the way to
introduce their culture to the world and thus contribute to its preservation. However many author
argued that commoditization is the only way to sell the indigenous culture to tourists (i.e; Thompson,
2007 and O’Gorman, 2007).
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From the cultural tourism perspectives, commoditization can enhance local economic growth and
develop traditions by reducing poverty levels and increasing the inherent value (UNWTO, 2004).
However, cultural commoditization has been criticized by several scholars. Cohen (1988) said that
using indigenous culture as a mass tourism product can ultimately cause the loss of authenticity,
inherent cultural value and significance. The Naxi indigenous community of China went through
cultural commoditization and presented their uniqueness to outsiders with the help of the government
but they are still in the belief that their culture is well preserved and not faded (Brown and Luo, 2012).
A study by Yoko (2006) on the Karen community in Chiang Mai showed that the ecotourism is used to
enhance community development. According to the scholar, the establishment of National Park in
their area made the local community to be involved in bird watching and elephant trekking activities
directly. Apart from that, the genuine participation in tourism has allowed the Karen community to
'commotiditize' their culture for economic and cultural sustainability benefits.
In the Malaysian context, Kalsom et al. (2008) has said that the Malaysian government consistently
seek to achieve sustainable tourism practice by targeting a balance between business imperatives,
cultural heritage preservation and environmental protection. This is evident by the establishment of
Orang Asli cultural villages and traditional handicraft centres such as the Pusat Kraftangan Orang Asli
(Orang Asli Handicraft Centre) in Cameron Highlands and Mah Meri Cultural Village at Carey Island
(Kunasekaran et al, 2013).
Indigenous tourism in Malaysia has high potential as a unique attraction, apart from eco- tourism,
which caters particularly for tourists from Australia, New Zealand and Europe, who prefer to learn
about unique and remote communities. At these indigenous villages, visitors will be able to witness the
traditional dances, lifestyle and hunting techniques personally. However, Gomes (2004) has mentioned
that the government has prevented tourists from visiting the Orang Asli community in Taman Negara,
Pahang. The author also addressed the government’s concern that photographs of half naked women in
their natural living styles may give a wrong impression regarding the majority Malay community’s
dressing manner.
Methodology
In order to understand the real phenomenon in the particular study area, a preliminary data gathering
technique was employed. To obtain the data, naturalistic inquiry was deemed appropriate by using a
semi-structured interview as a tool. The semi-structured interview was used as an inductive approach
to gain new and unexpected responses from the respondents, which prevents the interviewer from
assuming potential variables. However, a questionnaire guide was developed and used throughout the
interviewing session to obtain the pattern of answers that are appropriate to the objectives of the study.
Consequently, an interview guide was designed as a list of questions and probing follow-ups, to guide
through during the interview. The main reason that the interview guide was selected was to help the
researcher stay on track. It also will help to ensure that the important issues/variables were addressed.
In addition, the interview guide also provided a framework and sequence for the questions and helped
maintain consistency across interviews with different respondents from different type of tourism job
involved.
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There are three basic parts of the interview guide, which were utilized in this study. The face sheet was
used to record information, such as time, date and place of interview. For example, the third
respondent interviewed in Kampong Sg. Bumbon was labelled as B3 Basic demographic information
about the interviewee was also noted on the face sheet.
Mah Meri Community of Kampung Sungai Bumbon
Mah Meri community consists of 2896 members in the year 2004 (JHEOA, 2004). The Mah Meri
people are also known as 'Besisi' or people with scales (Karim, 1981). They speak an Austroasiatic
language which is originally from the Mon and Khmer’s language family. However, the Mah Meri’s
route to reach Malay Peninsula is still not clear. Nowak (1987) and Suet Ching (2009) argued that the
origin of the community is still based on myths. For this study about seven key informants from
Kampung Sungai Bumbon, Carey Island were interviewed. This village is the most well established
village in terms of tourism operations among other villages in the area. All the respondents selected are
full time participants of tourism activities in the village. The interviewed data was analyzed using
thematic analysis technique.
Analysis and discussion
Generally, the villagers were consistently involved in the cultural activities even without the existence
of tourism. The emergence of tourism in their village during late 70’s has made them to package their
own unique cultural product. According to the Tok Batin (head of the village), there are three main
tourism products which are very closed with Mah Meri culture; i.e.; Mah Meri Dance, wood carvings
and weaving crafts.
“Other than taking care of the village development, I monitor and ensure whether
among youth, young women, where they've aged this skillful carving crafts, I as the
head of this village I would encourage them to continue to carve. That is for the men.
The women, I make sure that they continue to try weaving and also ensure that
women continue integrate each other that they will gather participants from their
group. Besides weaving, they will teach traditional dance. These are the women
matters...” (Batin Sidin Bujang, 63 years old, male)
Another respondent added that the ‘Ari Moyang’ or ancesters’ day is a tourism product which can
attract a big number of tourists every year.
“Tourism here in my view, there are two types, sculpture and dance (Jo'oh) among
the main attractions at Sg. Bumbun. The second one is a festival. We have it once a
year. We celebrate the festival which we name Ari Moyang because it is the main
attraction of the three as I said. Many tourists also come. I see many come to a place
of worship close to the primary school there. The residents of this village will each
bring little food, we will all share and eat. Some other villagers also join. Variety of
other villages is visible like Chinese also come, so no identity. Indeed there are many
tourists, sometimes from tour agents who bring some tourists. That one who
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promotes this is Tourism Malaysia, and JAKOA but not much. Kraftangan Malaysia
of course is better (in promoting).” (Yahya Sidin, 33 years old, male)
Mah Meri Dance
Many of the respondents generally agreed that their culture is unique and their cultural product is well
respected. Embus Seng Keng, a wood carver said that the Mah Meri dance has escalated their
popularity nationwide during 1970’s.
“Dance was famous around the year 1977, there was Mah Meri dance. Before the
year 1977 the dance was already practiced by us but only after 1977, it became
famous. It is a tourism attraction, a tourist attraction now. I was involved in the
culture, we were the champion in 1977..then I went to Penang, Johor Bahru,
Cameron Highlands, Genting Highland, Kuala Terengganu during the opening of
the Museum of Kuala Terengganu, that time. That's about how many years I was not
quite remember. Some went to Perak, Selangor.. if Angkasapuri (TV station), we are
going frequently even now. That's one of the factors can add our income, indirectly.
Tourists come to enjoy, see clearly, I mean like that. kind of tourism sector is without
doubt I get involved, so this one increase tourism. It is good if there is culture like
this, there were tourists come to see in terms of culture.” (Embus Seng Keng, 52
years old, male)
According to another respondent, the Main Jo’oh dance is famous among other types of dance of
Orang Asli community.
“Our Main Jo’oh is receiving good demand. We always perform in functions. People
will be excited to see our attire and dance. There was once, last year if I’m not
mistaken, we performed at an Indian wedding function here in Pulau Carey. The
Indian lady (bride) is our friend, she always come here and sits with us to learn our
weaving...and she asked us to come and perform during their wedding at a wedding
hall. All the people in the hall were happy and the place become lively” (Maznah
anak Unyan, 44 years old, female)
Maznah anak Unyan who is also the head of the Tompoq Tompoh dance group however said the dance
is only performed when they are booked earlier. This is to ensure the arrangement and gathering of
dancers can be made without rushing.
“If there is no booking or order from tour guide we normally do not dance. So, the
tour guide from Kuala Lumpur would normally call and tell that he is bringing 5
German tourist tomorrow and I will call my friends to be ready...We do not
practice…we know what to do...Like my sister here, she plays Genang (traditional
music instrument)…They all know their roles…if a tourist come without informing us
to show our dance, it is difficult..Maybe he can see our weaving and buy some
souvenirs” (Maznah anak Unyan, 44years old, female)
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Wood carvings
The mask and sculptures are also equally important for the Mah Meri’s to portray their culture.
Sculptures like Kata Kala, Jin Gunung, Hantu, Pawang, Bes Kutu, Moyang Mengkok, Moyang Tijau
Didi, Hantu Ketam, Moyang Belangkas, Moyang Lanjut, Harimau Berantai and Moyang Belalang are
the main products that are still being carved regularly.
Each statue or mask have some stories particularly for it, there is the story of him.
Actually in those days, people do mask and statue for medical reasons. If body aches
and pains strike we do the mask or statue. Now all has changed, we do it for tourism,
to craft. Now the carving of mask and statue has turned into an art. (Yahya Sidin, 33
years old, male)
Among the sculptures of Mah Meri, Harimau Berantai (tiger statue with chain) is unique and not only
become a primary attraction for tourists but also a pride of the wood carvers. The reaction of the
tourists after seeing the unique carving is a pride and great satisfaction for the wood carvers.
“If you want to know the most valuable sculpture, tiger statue with a chain la...
Sometimes the tourists who come do not understand, like a tiger is done first and
joined (fixed) with the chain later… but that is not actually we do, we will do the
tiger and chain together… the time we do the show live we carved one...Tourists see
this strangely, there is a ball in the tiger’s mouth, they say we make the ball and put
in the mouth…but we say that the ball naturally exist in the mouth…without doubt in
that, the bizarre thing is interesting.” ( Alias Sayor, 35 years old, male)
“The tourists who visit us are so excited, they come and take our pictures, they are
interested in our demonstrations like carving and dancing…they really like. If we
(wood carvers) we just make our sculpture, they come and see us and become so
happy…they take picture of how we do that. They are very happy, and smile to us”
(Atan Seman, 47 years old, male)
According to Gali Adam, the decision to make a sculpture or mask is not simply made. They will get
the idea through dreams. These ideas, design and instructions to do a specific sculpture is from their
ancestors.
“I don’t just do this…when I sleep, get dream...my ancestor will come in the
dream...or I will dream about a sculpture...that’s where I get my idea…but not
always I get the dream. Nowadays it is very rare to get a dream...but once I see a
picture of sculpture in my dream, I will wake up in the morning and do…” (Gali
Adam 53 years old, male)
About 11 private kiosks were established by the Kraftangan Malaysia to encourage wood carving. All
the kiosks are situated nearer to the wood carvers’ houses enable them to use them as their main base
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to do wood carving. These facilities are the replacement of Nipah and plastic huts which was been used
by the wood carvers for a long time. Generally, the community relies heavily on its surroundings to
produce their handicraft. For the mask and sculpture, reddish hardwood called Nyireh Batu
(Xylocarpus Moluccensis) is often used.
“In the wood carving process, first we got to go looking for the raw material to carve, if
the wood is suitable to carve, we go ahead. We created this mask using Nyireh Batu, there
is a scientific name for it - I did not know how to say it - instead of mangrove wood. We
must bring Genso (chainsaw) machine, cut wood, stack it behind the house, measure how
many feet that we need... If anyone gets an order,then the size will be according to the
price and if the price is high, we have to do a big one. If the price is low we make a small
one. If the price is low, it will be about five hundred Ringgit. When the big order comes, I
think it is about four thousand, five thousand. Now we can’t make big objects because the
wood is slowly dying out...I mean Nyireh Batu, we can’t find big wood. The mangrove
marsh is also disappearing” (Atan Seman, 47 years old, male)
Some of the wood carvers said that the orders to make mask and sculptures are not encouraging. This
inconsistency of demand has caused them to be involved in other activities in the village.
“For instance, I don’t get orders like others, I have to be like this, I still do wood carving,
do and keep. Even though no order, I still do and keep stock. Another thing is, at my house
there are no more masks, we have to do mask, so that when there is an order, we can easily
sell. We cannot wait for the order, if you wait for the order; it can be a problem too.”
(Kemi, 38 years old, male)
Dissimilarly, for the weaving activity, resource scarcity is not a major issue. The Pandanus leaf can be
found easily. However, it is reducing in the vicinity of the village and weavers have to venture farther
from the village to gather the leaf.
“No...Not like the Nyireh Batu, Nyireh Batu is slowly diminishing...Look there...that
durian tree is mine...I planted so that one day it will grow and provide me with the wood
which is similar to the Nyireh Batu. Do you know that the durian tree wood is a hardwood?
For now I am happy that there is a lot of Pandanus leaf out there. Even around my house,
you can find many. But is it is slowly disappearing from this area. We have to go far to get
some.” (Maznah anak Unyan, 44 years old, female)
According to another wood carver, the scarcity of Nyireh Batu is caused by the commercial
development of an oil palm plantation owned by a multinational company.
“We have to plant this wood in a place...We don’t want them to destroy more...we have to
keep more wood... because this hardwood is difficult to get... Just like us (Mah Meri), the
wood is diminishing, but a lot of anak nyireh (young Nyireh), ibu nyireh (matured Nyireh)
can be found near the mangrove marsh, kind of easy resource I guess... The hardwood is
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diminishing because there are no more rivers...the river was wider than what it is now,
because of this problem we want to save forests but could not because they want the land
for planting oil palm. Now I heard they want to cut again. For us, we already told Sime
Darby about the trees used for carving...if we take the anak nyireh we must ask permission
from Sime Darby. For us it is hard to think that every time we enter to get wood, we must
seek permission, those days we were not like this.” (Alias Sayor, 35 years old, male)
Thus, in terms of natural resources, the community is facing a serious threat in protecting and
conserving Nyireh Batu. However, the availability of Pandanus leaf nearer to their houses has been a
great motivation for the Mah Meri women to engage in weaving activity.
Conclusion
The initial investigation shows that the indigenous community is proud to portray their culture to the
outsiders. They are also proud to be known as the icon of tourism among other Orang Asli sub-groups
of Malaysia. This study also reveals that the Mah Meri community is eager to explore tourism
opportunities in their village. They strongly believe that the tourism business can create many positive
outcomes. Apart from that, the community also agrees that the non-economic benefits such as cultural
sustainability and environmental sustainability are driven by the emergence of tourism in their village.
The results also clearly show that the community is very much open to outsider and encourage any
tourism development efforts in their area. Tourism is perceived as a strong tool to connect them to the
outside world. Existence of tourism in their area not only enabled governmental, non-governmental
and inter-ethnic affiliations, but also direct international exposure to the community.
The perception of the community often neglected by the authorities makes the community feel that
they are not empowered (Kunasekaran, 2014). The community agreed that the outsiders especially the
government always discuss with the community before any implementation of projects. According to
the Tok Batin, the discussions are considered as a formality task of the officers to respect the villagers.
The final decision of developmental projects however will be taken by the government. If this goes on,
the community will feel detached with any tourism developments organized by the government. Thus,
the government should not merely consult the community to fulfil procedures, on a token basis. They
should respect the community’s ideas and give them opportunities of trial and error. By doing this, the
community can learn themselves and improve their level.
The future studies within the scope of Orang Asli and tourism participation should also consider
understanding the demand side of the tourism industry. Understanding the supply side of the market
alone is inadequate to make indigenous tourism sustainable. The study of tourist motivation visiting
indigenous groups should be done to identify factors influencing the target market to choose
indigenous tourism as preferred tourism attraction. By understanding the demand side attributes, a
holistic understanding of sustainable indigenous tourism can be attained.
Acknowledgement
This research was funded by the Ministry of Education (MOE) under the Fundamental Research Grant
Scheme (FRGS).
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References
Besermenji, S., Milić, N., & Mulec, I. (2011). Indians culture in the tourism of Ontario. Zbornik
radova Geografskog instituta" Jovan Cvijić", SANU, 61(3), 119-136.
Butler, R. and Hinch, T. (2007) Tourism and indigenous people: issues and implications, 2nd
edition, Michigan: Butterworth-Heinemann (first published: 1996).
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15(3): 371-386.
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Orang Asli Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: Bahagian Penyelidikan dan Perancangan.
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Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli: Kuala Lumpur.
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Pelancongan Lestari dlm. Pelancongan Malaysia: Isu Pembangunan, Budaya, Komuniti dan
Persetempatan, Edited by Yahaya Ibrahim, Sulong Mohamad, Habibah Ahmad, Sintok: Universiti
Utara Malaysia Press.
Karim, W. J. B. (1981). Ma'Betisek concepts of living things. London: Athlone Press.
King. V.T. (1993). Tourism and Culture in Malaysia. In Hitchcock, M., King. V.T. and Parnwell,
M.J.G. (Eds.) Tourism in Southeast Asia (pp. 96 – 116). London: Routledge.
Kunasekaran, P. (2014). Factors influencing sustainable indigenous tourism attainment of the
Mah Meri community in Carey Island, Malaysia (PhD). Universiti Putra Malaysia.
Liu, O., P. (2008). Packaging Myths for Tourism: The Rungus of Kudat. Bangi: Universiti
Kebangsaan Malaysia Press.
Ministry of Tourism Malaysia (2012). Downloads - Statistics - MOTOUR. [online] Retrieved
from: http://www.motour.gov.my/en/download/viewcategory/49-statistik.html [Accessed:
19 July 2012].
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dissertation., State University of New York at Buffalo.
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Ulaanbaatar Naadam. Tourism and indigenous peoples: Issues and implications, 161-175.
Suet Ching, C. (2010). Mah Meri on Stage: Negotiating National Policies, Tourism and
Modernization in Kampung Sungai Bumbun, Carey Island. PhD theses. University of
Hawai.
Tourism Malaysia, (2012). Tourism Malaysia: A bit of culture. [online] Retrieved from:
http://www.tourism.gov.my/en/master/web-page/experiences [Accessed: 2 September
2012].
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Available at: http://sdt.unwto.org/en.
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12
The Potential of Heterotrigona Farming for a High Income
Agro-Entrepreneur Project in Malaysia
Mohd Mansor Ismail*
Introduction
The agriculture project that can generate monthly income of RM5000 to participants is limited. The
new heterotrigona beekeeping project is expected to achieve this target because the selling price of its
honey is very high. The price can reach RM500 per kg. At present beekeepers are used to rearing Apis
species but due to serious pests and diseases attack their colonies are dwindling. As an alternative,
Heterotrigona species were found to be less prone to pests and diseases while the management
requirement is not rigid. Beekeepers can rear Heterotrigona without daily inspections like in Apis
species. The Heterotrigona species also can survive without additional food during monsoon season.
The main problem of beekeeping is maintaining the colony intact during rainy seasons. Beekeepers
will provide additional food to Apis colonies usually in the form of pollen substitute and sugar. The
food supplement especially pollen is expensive. This problem normally occurs when Apis colonies are
reared in Acacia mangium forest reserves. The Acacia tree is a good nectar source because the honey is
not only produce in flowers but it also found in petiole. But the pollen is hardly found in Acacia
mangium and this limit the success of beekeeping in Acacia unless trees with pollen like palm trees are
planted as provider of pollen supplement. Based on these problems Department of Agriculture together
with local universities and MARDI are going all out to promote Heterotrigona species. Before large
investment is committed in this species, technical feasibility must first be carried out. This will look at
the suitability of Heterotrigona in Malaysia and the characteristics of fit colony that can increase yield
and possibly colony multiplication. But the most important thing is the financial feasibility of this
project. If the specie is technically feasible, but the project is a loss making enterprise then this project
is not feasible. In order for the project to be feasible, consumers must accept the product and the
project must be environmental friendly. These elements are the requirement of current definition of
competitiveness. On the whole, this study will prove that the Heterotrigona project is feasible,
marketable, environmental friendly and above all will meet the criteria of a high income agro
entrepreneurial project.
Literature Review
Malaysia possesses abundant natural resources that can sustain beekeeping activity producing bee
products and by products that can be converted into high value added health food, rich in both
enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants. In addition, beekeeping plays a major role in socio-
economic development and environmental conservation in Malaysia. It is a source of food (e.g. honey,
pollen and brood), raw materials for various industries (e.g. beeswax candles and lubricants), medicine
* Corresponding author.
E-mail: [email protected]
Address: Agricultural Production, Marketing and Trade Laboratory, Institute of Agricultural and Food Policy Studies, Putra
Infoport, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor.
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(honey, propolis, beeswax and bee venom) and as additional sources of income to rural farmers. It is
estimated that the beekeeping industry is capable of generating millions of revenue each year from
sales of bee products and by-products. It is an important income generating activity with high potential
for improving incomes especially in the fruits and pineapple plantations. In terms of production, most
of the honey produced in Malaysia is from Sarawak, Sabah, Johor and Melaka and the bees are from
the species of Apis cerana (the local bee) and Apis mellifera (the imported bee). There are about 700
beekeepers now (23,000 colonies) compared to 946 in 1988 (7000 colonies). As for comparison, in
Chiang Mai, Thailand, they have 2 million colonies. Thus, there exist tremendous potential in
beekeeping activity in Malaysia. The annual yield from local bees is about 5-9 kg while A. mellifera
(the imported bee) is expected to produce up to 50 kg per colony per year but prone to pests and
diseases. The problems in rearing A cerana and A mellifera prompted the industry to search for new
species, that is, Heterotrigona species. The research and development on the technical, financial and
economic aspects of commercializing Heterotrigona species is urgently needed in order to promote the
project to potential beekeepers in Malaysia. Through R&D, apiaries in Malaysia have rooms for
improvement which can lead to higher yields and to a sustainable industry while addressing urgent
technical problems like better breed and queen rearing. As a longer term objective, selections of new
species like Heterotrigona species need to be done to obtain good colony such as pests tolerant strains.
By products such are royal jelly, pollen, propolis, and venom are still unexplored at the moment.
Postharvest drying of honey and downstream processing still remain untouched. All these technical
aspects must be combined with financial and economic aspects before any suggestion to
commercialize the Heterotrigona farming could be made. These aspects of beekeeping practices which
we have identified in its technical perspective and futuristic vision can be improved via a larger
coordinated programme involving collaborations among many disciplines of agriculture. It is expected
that the improvement in research and development on the technical aspect of beekeeping will
eventually increase the production of local natural honey. Surprisingly, Malaysia produces a paltry
estimate of less than 5% (98mt of her honey) needs in 2000 but the country manage to increase its
production level to 284% producing a total of 8548 mt in 2010. This is a great achievement for the
beekeeping industry and for Malaysia as a whole. But, the country still imports its honey from abroad
mainly for industrial uses. The rest of the honey industrial requirement and for re-export purposes are
imported (7915 mt) from countries such as Australia, New Zealand, China, Iran, etc. Imported honeys
are much cheaper than the local honey. The price can be as low as RM9 per kg. Malaysia imported low
price honey and export high price honey for table consumption. In the food industry, honey is mainly
used as ingredients or sweetener or additives in the confectionary and bakery industries. Unlike in
Europe and the USA, Malaysians, especially the Malays, consumed honey mainly as medicinal in
nature, rather than as food supplements and, that is why, the per capita consumption is very low
(estimated about 100g/year). More efforts should be made in promoting local consumption. If natural
honey production from Heterotrigona is feasible, then other by-products can also be harvested, such as,
beeswax, propolis, royal jelly, pollination services, ecotourism, beverages, etc. which are associated
with beekeeping industry. The demand for honey and other by-products and services from the
beekeeping activities are to be explored and connected into the supply-chain concept of management.
Other related industries, such as, probiotics (beverages), ecotourism, etc. can be linked and connected
into a commercial critical-mass for the bee supply-chain network. The pollination services from
honeybees in the USA is estimated to worth more than USD $ 200 billion annually and it worth more
than the honey production. No estimates are available for Malaysia but the orchid industry is worth
| OPTIONS Vol 20 No 1 Jan 2016
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less than RM 50 million/yr to Malaysia. The potential of Heterotrigona is enormous and what is
urgently needed is the research on technical, economic and financial feasibility of this activity. The
study is in the context of high income project needed to achieve high income status of develop nation
in 2020. If the project is feasible but the monthly income cannot meet the RM5000 target then the
project should not be recommended. The National Agrofood Policy (NAP4, 2011-2020) also
encourages high production of fruit and vegetables. Heterotrigona is the best pollinator for fruit and
vegetables. Thus by introducing Heterotrigona, the yield will increase and consequently the objective
of NAP4 will be met.
Methodology
Primary data for this study will be collected based on the technical research on actual field trials in
order to monitor the costs and benefits of the production before and after the introduction of stingless
bee. The benefit could also arise from the possible increase of crop production through pollination.
Financial analysis
NPV is generated by taking summation of all present values of net cash inflows and outflows of a
project. The net cash inflow equals total inflow during a period less the expenses on generating the
cash inflow. The formula for NPV is as follows:
NPV = CF0 + CF1/(1+i) + CF2/(1+i)2 + CF3/(1+i)
3 + . . . +CFn/(1+i)
n
Where,
CFt = Cash outflows and inflows in year t and,
i = Discount rate or required rate of return
The IRR is a discount rate that equates the NPV to zero. In other words, IRR is the highest interest rate
that the project can support. The minimum attractive rate of return or MARR is the interest rate that
represents the minimum required rate of profit that an investor wants to gain when an investment is
made. The IRR should be greater than MARR for an investment to be financially feasible. The formula
of IRR is shown as:
NPV = 0 = P0 + P1/(1+R) + P2/(1+R)2 + P3/(1+R)
3 + . . . +Pn/(1+R)
n
Where,
P0, P1, . . . Pn equal the cash flows in periods 1, 2, . . . n, respectively; and
R equals the project's internal rate of return (IRR).
Profitability index is another parameter measures the economic viability of an agriculture project. The
PI is defined as the total discounted benefits divided by the total discounted costs. If the value of PI is
greater than 1, the project has a positive net benefit and otherwise. The higher the ratio means the
greater the benefits relative to the costs. The formula of BCR is as follows:
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PI = Total Discounted Benefits / Total Discounted Costs
The payback period is sometimes the most important indicators for a company because quick return on
all invested capital is preferred by many firms. The Japanese firms are normally accepting only
projects with payback period less than 2 years. However, the length of the period depends on the
policy of the firms. The short period normally correlates with the riskiness of a host country. Since
Malaysia is not in that category, the PBP is often not as important as the NPV and IRR.
Financial feasibility involves the capability of a project’s benefits to cover the appropriate costs needed
to implement a proposed project. NPV is a standard method for the financial appraisal of long-term
projects. IRR is a capital budgeting metric used by firms to decide whether they should make
investments in potential projects. It is an indicator of the efficiency of an investment, as opposed to
NPV, which indicates value or magnitude. A project is a good investment proposition if its IRR is
greater than the rate of return that could be earned by alternate investments. However, the NPV is the
best criteria since it is consistent with the goal of a firm.
PBP refers to the period of time required for the return on an investment to "repay" the sum of the
original investment. Normally, PBP of less than two years is preferred. Finally, PI is a good tool for
ranking projects because it allows to clearly identifying the discounted return on investment and a
project is said to be viable if the index is greater than one. Apart from financial assessment, economic
measurement is a way to ascertain whether any cultivation or agricultural project is socially viable or
not. However, the first phase of the study is emphasis on financial assessment and the approach is to
incorporate benefits, all inputs and government incentives aiming at increasing farm profitability.
Results
Beekeeping projects involving 200 hives costing about RM113000. The discounted cash flow of the
projects after paying 25% tax shows higher NPV which amounting to RM 124,487. The IRR generated
is 47% (Table 1). This value is greater than the average interest rate of 10% offered by most banks plus
a risk premium. Even though after deducting 25% taxes, this enterprise is able to generate RM5000
monthly income to the operators. Thus, by operating 200 colonies of stingless bees, the participant is
guaranteed with high income generating activity. The payback period is also less than 2 years and this
makes the proposal more attractive.
However, with zero tax incentives, beekeepers would have an IRR of 67%. This investment generates
IRR 20% higher than the normal tax paying enterprise. The PBP of the subsidized projects is
approximately 1 year and 5 month compared to 1 year and 10 months for the tax paying projects.
Therefore, beekeepers of the subsidized projects can repay or get back the sum of their initial
investment earlier than others who do not receive the subsidy. Finally, the PI of the tax paying projects
is 2.10, indicating that the return for every Ringgit invested is RM2.10. By comparison, the PI of the
zero tax projects is just 2.74. However, under the pioneer status the government will abolish income
tax up to ten years. Each participant with 200 hives and with estimated annual production of 3 kg for
each hive, the participant will received about RM5000 per month less tax. This will certainly move
them out of the poverty level.
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Table 1: Financial analysis Heterotrigona species for high income agriculture project
Source: Author’s calculation
Conclusion
In order to promote the beekeeping industry as a high income project, the government has designated
beekeeping as one of the promoted agriculture projects that justify for current incentives (MOA, 2005).
Based on a zero tax incentive program, the return on investment for beekeeping projects under the
incentive scheme is higher than the independent project. With other incentives in the list, the potential
investors could find the beekeeping projects profitable. For high income project, an entrepreneur could
earn up to RM5000 per month. Thus, the government should promote the beekeeping projects in food
crops and forest reserves by providing more incentives to participants especially for the development
of young entrepreneurs among small farmers and potential investors.
References
Alias Radam, Shaufique Fahmi Sidique, and Mohd Mansor Ismail. 2008. Consumer Willingness to
Pay for Locally Produced Pure Tualang Honey in Malaysia. International Applied Economics
and Management Letters (IAEML). 1(2): 37-40.
Brigham, E. 2007. Fundamental of Financial Management. Dryden Press. New York.
Elsedig Elbadawi Ahmed Awad, Mohd. Mansor Ismail and Fatimah Mohamed Arshad,, 2015.
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using Policy Analysis Matrix. International Food Research Journal 22(1): 116- 121.
Fatimah, M.A, Ahmad, S., Alias, R., Amin, M.A, Azali, M., Ismail, L., Khalid, A.R, Kusairi, M.N,
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Egypt.
Descriptions Number of hives
200 colonies (25% tax) 200 hives (0% tax)
Initial Investment RM 113,100 RM 113,100
NPV @10% RM 124,487 RM 197,062
IRR 47% 67%
Payback Period 1 year 10 months 1 year 5 months
Profitability Index 2.10 2.74
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MOA 2005. Investment Incentives for Agriculture and Agro-based Industries in Malaysia. Putra Jaya,
Malaysia.
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Commodities, Editor Fatimah Mohamed Arshad and Amin Mahir Abdullah.
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