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DSTE Capital Limited plants first batch of MD2 pineapples in Kedah

Demand for pineapples is sky high from China, with Malaysia capable of supplying only seven per cent of the total demand for the fruit. — Reuters pic
Demand for pineapples is sky high from China, with Malaysia capable of supplying only seven per cent of the total demand for the fruit. — Reuters pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 — DSTE Capital Limited has planted its first batch of the MD2-type pineapples on a plot of land spanning 100 acres in Kedah.

The first phase sees the planting of 100 acres of MD2 pineapples in DSTE-owned farms in Padang Lembu, Kedah, with one acre of land accomodating 20,000 MD2 pineapple plants, bringing a total of two million MD2 pineapple plants in DSTE farms, to date.

“This is just the first step to deploying of smart farming technologies in all DSTE owned farms. In the next six to 12 months, we intend to plant 1,000 acres of MD2 pineapples, meaning a total of 20 millions of MD2 pineapple plants will be planted in DSTE-owned farms across various states in Malaysia.

“All MD2 pineapple seeds in DSTE farms are legally obtained from Malaysia Pineapple Industry Board and its produce is qualified to be exported overseas,” DSTE Capital Limited chief financial officer Chin Kuen Liang said.

He added currently, demand for pineapples is sky high from China, with Malaysia capable of supplying only seven per cent of the total demand for the said MD2 type fruit.

“The market is still growing and there is a lot of potential,” he added.

Upon completion of the planting on 1,000 acres of land across DSTE farms, the company claimed that it would become the largest producer of MD2 pineapples in Malaysia.

The company said that it is also aiming at resolving the lack of MD2 pineapple seeds in the plantation market, adding that one MD2 pineapple plant could produce four seeds and a one-acre land could accommodate 20,000 MD2 pineapple plants, in 16 months.

“This would result in additional 80,000 seeds for farmers to start their MD2 pineapple farming. In the long run, this will resolve the problem of shortage of MD2 pineapple seeds and increase the productivity of MD2 pineapple,” the company said in a statement.

DSTE Capital Limited began operating this year, in Labuan, and is a global agricultural chain which adopts big data, cloud computing, blockchain, internet of things, and artificial intelligence to develop, research and map the layout of the global agricultural industry chain.

DSTE’s operation mainly involves agricultural supplies, production, processing and products.

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