Growing the Malaysian farming sector with cutting-edge technology

KUALA LUMPUR: Idea Company Sdn Bhd today signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Hoogendoorn Growth Management, formalising a partnership agreement that will proliferate the use of smart precision farming technologies for more sustainable practices and approaches in the Malaysian agricultural sector.
The MoA signing between En Zachary Aman, Managing Director of Idea Company Sdn Bhd and Mr Wierd Vonk representing Hoogendoorn, was witnessed by Datuk Seri Dr. Ronald Kiandee, Minister of Agriculture and Food Industries and Ms Eva Oskam, Deputy Ambassador and Head of Economic Section of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Malaysia.
“The MoA signifies a unique collaboration between a home-grown Malaysian entity with a Dutch technology partner at a time when Malaysia is on a journey to revolutionise its agriculture industry through technological and digital transformation,” said Zachary.
“This partnership allows Idea Company to provide greater access to modern technologies for smart farming, thanks to this milestone collaboration with Hoogendoorn, an innovative proprietor of process automation systems in greenhouse horticulture,” he added.
Precision farming takes root
The benefits assessable to Malaysian farmers with the use of smart precision farming technologies include greater output of food production; boosting farmers’ incomes; more efficient and sustainable use of resources and agricultural inputs such as water, energy, seeds and fertilizers); reducing manpower dependency and requirements; and having a better understanding of processes in cultivating crops.
“Through the use of smart precision farming technologies, cultivation requirements are met at the right time, with the right amount and done with precise measurements, leading to higher quality produce as well as better risk and quality control,” said Zachary.
Application of smart precision technologies such as IoT, connected services and autonomous systems, our Malaysian farmers are empowered to make decisions at the level of a single square metre or individual plant, rather than entire fields.
This precision allows well-informed interventions that ultimately improve agricultural sustainability by helping farmers produce more with less, addressing agricultural inadequacies and problems that cannot be solved with traditional or outdated methods and mindsets.
This tech collaboration with Hoogendorn strengthens Idea Company’s desire to improve and encourage greater adoption among the farming community of smart farming tools including mechanisation, precision farming tools and human capital development in equipping Malaysian farmers with the capabilities to optimise yield and output using updated technologies.
Moreover, Malaysian farmers are better equipped to manage essential operational mechanisms in farming by eliminating guess work and reducing variabilities. This is achieved by utilization of empirical data and information to help local farmers understand relationships between variables and output.
These aspects contribute to the bigger picture of smart farming and the key role it plays in the nation’s quest to achieve food security. By building its presence and knowhow in smart precision farming techniques, Idea Company is ideally poised to play a significant role as a dedicated advocate of smart farming techniques. In addition to the landmark achieved today, Idea Company has also recently announced the February 2022 signing of an MOU for the collaboration with Multimedia University in organizing the Smart Precision Agriculture Junior Growers Programme to develop and nurture the next generation of smart farmers.
The era of ‘smart precision agriculture’ on farms has taken root.