SIREN INNOVATION TO CONTROL WILD ELEPHANT ATTACKS WINS FELCRA PLANTATION QUALITY AWARD

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 31 (Bernama) -- A plantation company’s innovation which uses a siren sound frequency and special lights to control wild elephant attacks has won the Plantation Quality Award in the Plantation Innovation category at the FELCRA Visionary Award 2024 ceremony here last night.

FELCRA Bhd Sri Mahkota Area manager Nur Ariff Sahah, 27, said with the win, his team bagged a cash prize of RM8,000 as well as a plaque and certificate of appreciation.

“I am very thankful that the innovation has helped planters as well as estate and small farmers. We have carried out this project for two years, and Alhamdulillah, have successfully helped our farms from being targets of wild elephant attacks,” he told reporters at the event.

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Nur Ariff said the inspiration to use the Siren SM Mammoth came about when a 800-hectare farm in Endau, Johor, was frequently targeted by wild elephant from nearby areas.

“You could say that our farms were attacked three to four times a month by these wild elephants, so this prompted us to develop a suitable innovation, and coincidentally the Johor FELCRA director also provided us with some tips," he said.

He said that elephants are animals with sensitive hearing, therefore in the innovation, sound frequencies and blue LED lights were incorporated to be used as an alternative in keeping these animals away.

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“Elephants are actually afraid of blue light, so with the LED lights and siren installed along with the closed-circuit camera, we can fully monitor the farm," he said

“Previously, about 200 trees in the farm would be damaged by the elephants but now the numbers have reduced to nine to 10 trees, therefore, this is a good development.”

Meanwhile, the winner of the Best Award in the Best Palm Oil Mill category, Felcra Bhd Nasaruddin Perak, dedicated its success to the company's staff who worked hard to realise innovations in the palm oil mill operations.

Factory manager Mohd Jefri Amat said that through the new direction and management methods implemented since the beginning of the year, they have successfully provided profitable returns to FELCRA while creating high competitiveness against other competitors.

The FELCRA Visionary Awards ceremony, held to recognise and appreciate outstanding initiatives in innovation and management by FELCRA leaders and staff, also featured two additional awards: the Factory and Infrastructure Quality Award as well as Subsidiaries Award.

Deputy Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Rubiah Wang presented prizes to all the winners, witnessed by FELCRA chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub and chief executive officer Datuk Idris Lasim.

-- BERNAMA