Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Syed Jamalullail expressed this in his speech at the closing ceremony of the Harumanis Festival in Kangar and suggested urgent remedies needed to be taken.
The superior quality of the fruit has attracted Japanese importers to market and promote Harumanis in Japan, provided that it passes stringent import protocols.
Once the market barriers are lifted, other fruits such as mangosteen, rambutan and papaya may just follow.
However, other pertinent issues lie within Perlis itself. Theft for one, is rampant, and Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin has described it as an act of treachery to the farmers and the market.
Unlike other mangoes, Harumanis has to be processed and ripened before it is ready for the market. Without this crucial process, the stolen mangoes would suffer a condition called "insidious fruit rot" or "soft nose", where the fruit looks fine on the outside but is rotten on the
inside.
Buyers, mostly tourists, would be shortchanged; a few rotten fruit will surely sour the market.
Since 1985, the Perlis government has tried in vain to push farmers into planting Harumanis, but many felt that Harumanis was not commercially viable.
A source says that even some agencies were not too keen on Harumanis, resulting in poor technology and marketing support of the product.
Persistent problems with seed weevils and fruit flies, and the possibility of producing out-of-season fruits, were never addressed or explored.
The state Agriculture Department had to improve cultivation by trial-and-error, while at the same time selling the fruit over their cafe counter at Ladang Bukit Bintang in Sungai Batu Pahat.
It took two decades for word to spread about Harumanis.
During the recent festival, however, the department sold seven tonnes of Harumanis within three hours and the counter had to be closed early.
In other parts of the country, Harumanis is being sold as a brand and not as a variety, when in reality the fruit has never really left the state.
Mustaqim Abdullah, 26, who helps run his father's business of processing fruits from private orchards, says there are not enough fruits to be sold in Perlis.
"Harumanis has never been sold wholesale to retailers outside Perlis," he says.
"Most people buy and post it to their friends or relatives in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, or as far as Europe and the Middle East."
Land titles are another issue. Many farmers are cultivating on untitled lands, says Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Md Isa Sabu, hampering efforts in cluster farming.
Cluster farming, where several farmers plan, manage and process the fruits like a community project, is a proven success in Thailand.
Three years ago through this method, mango production leapt 300 per cent and doubled in value.
The ruler's address was a clear indication that Harumanis should be treated as an important commodity, with a strategic plan for its cultivation.
New Straits Times, May 19, 2009
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