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| OPTIONS Vol 20 No 1 Jan 2016

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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)



Address: Bioresource and Environmental Policy Laboratory, Institute of Agricultural and Food Policy Studies, Putra



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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 ecotourism,

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).


11

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).

Brown, K. and Luo, T. (2012). Authenticity versus Commoditization: The Chinese Experience in

the UNESCO Heritage Site of Lijiang . International Cultural Tourism Conference: New

Possibilities, 13 (1), pp.123-141.

Cohen, E. (1988). Authenticity and commoditization in tourism. Annals of Tourism Research,

15(3): 371-386.

Jabatan Hal-Ehwal Orang Asli (JHEOA), (2004). Data Maklumat Asas Jabatan Hal Ehwal

Orang Asli Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: Bahagian Penyelidikan dan Perancangan.

Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli (JAKOA), (2010). Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli Report of 2010.

Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli: Kuala Lumpur.

Gomes, A. G. (2004). The Orang Asli of Malaysia. International Institute for Asian Studies

Newsletter, 35, 10.

Kalsom K., Nor Ashikin M., N., and Mohmad Amin M., I., (2008). Penglibatan Komuniti dalam

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].

Nowak, S. (1987). Marriage and Household: Btsisi' Response to a Changing World. PhD

dissertation., State University of New York at Buffalo.

O'Gorman, K. D., and Thompson, K. (2007). Tourism and culture in Mongolia: the case of

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].

UNWTO (2004). Sustainable Tourism Development. [online] (Retreived on 20 September 2012)

Available at: http://sdt.unwto.org/en.

http://sdt.unwto.org/en


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



Address: Agricultural Production, Marketing and Trade Laboratory, Institute of Agricultural and Food Policy Studies, Putra



13

(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


14

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:


15

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.


16

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.

Assessing the Competitiveness and Comparative Advantage of Broiler Production in Johor

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,

Mohd Mansor, A, Mohd Rusli, Y., Ng, K.Y, Tai, S.Y., Zainalabidin, M. and Zulkornain, Y.

2008. Penilaian Pelan Tindakan Imbangan Perdagangan Sektor Makanan, unpublished report

submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry, Malaysia.

H Pechhacker, H. and N Juntawong, N. (1989): Apis mellifera versus Apis cerana in the north of

Thailand. Bees for Development Journal #30.

Makhdzir Mardan, A.H. Hamid, Z. Emby, A.R. Marasidi, and Mohd Mansor Ismail. 1988. Some

Aspects of Honey-Gathering from Colonies of A. dorsata in Peninsular Malaysia. Paper

presented at the 4th International Conference on Tropical Apiculture, November 1988, Cairo,

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


17

MOA 2005. Investment Incentives for Agriculture and Agro-based Industries in Malaysia. Putra Jaya,

Malaysia.

Mohd Mansor Ismail, 2012. Honey Marketing in Malaysia, Agricultural Marketing Issues of Selected.

Commodities, Editor Fatimah Mohamed Arshad and Amin Mahir Abdullah.

Mohd Mansor Ismail and Fatimah. M.A., Zulkurnain Y. and Kushairi M.N. 2013. Competitiveness of

Food and Feed Industry in Malaysia. UPM Press, Serdang.

Mohd Mansor Ismail and Mad Nasir Shamsudin. 1989. Economic Feasibility of Beekeeping. Paper

presented at the Seminar on Beekeeping Development, Pedu. 23 Sept. 1989.

Mohd Mansor Ismail and Makhdzir Mardan. 2010. The Production Potential of Natural Honey in

Eradicating Poverty in Malaysia. Paper presented at the 10th Asian Apicultural Association

(AAA) Conference & Api Expo, 4-7 November 2010, BEXCO, Busan, Republic of Korea.

Mohd Mansor Ismail, Ismail Abd. Latif, Zainalabidin Mohamed, Makhdzir Mardan, and Alias Radam.

2007. Forest Conservation through Honey Hunting and Ecotourism in Malaysia. The Malaysian

Journal of Agricultural Economics (MJAE). Vol 20.

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