SEJATI MADANI: I-SUN DRYER DRIVES ECONOMIC CHANGE IN KAMPUNG KUALA BIBANG

By Khatijah Jistoh

SEMPORNA, April 17 (Bernama) --Kampung Kuala Bibang, an agricultural and fishing village here, has become a prime example of successful transformation through the integration of modern technology.

With RM100,000 in funding from the Sejahtera Komuniti Madani (SejaTi MADANI) programme, the residents of Kampung Kuala Bibang have boosted their salted fish production to half a tonne per day, five times the output of conventional methods, through the innovative i-Sun dryer smart drying technology.

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Mohamad Nawir, a member of the Kampung Kuala Bibang Residents Association, shared that the increase in salted fish production had substantially raised the income of residents in the village, which spans an area of around 15 hectares.

“My family and I, along with other community members, have been in the salted fish business for the past 10 years. We used to dry the fish the old way, just leaving it out in the sun for up to three days.

“Using the traditional method, we can produce 100 kg of salted fish a week, but it really depends on the weather. We need to monitor the drying process closely because flies or animals could spoil the fish,” he told Bernama recently.

Mohamad said the idea to use the i-Sun Dryer came a few years ago when he was scrolling through Facebook and saw a post by a senior lecturer from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) talking about the benefits of the technology

“I got interested in the technology at that time, so I contacted the UiTM team. After a few discussions, they agreed to set up an i-Sun dryer in the village, but the cost of building it was RM50,000,” he said.

Mohamad said the SejaTi MADANI Program marked a new chapter for the Kampung Kuala Bibang community, as they seized the opportunity to make their dream of bringing modern drying technology to the village a reality.

He said that, eventually, two smart solar dryers were built in the village, with each one capable of drying 250 kg of fish in just three hours. With the drying process taking place three times a day, they’ve managed to ramp up production to half a tonne per day.

“This i-Sun dryer technology reduces drying time, with temperatures reaching up to 60 degrees Celsius, and it also produces better-quality salted fish, with a more even and cleaner drying process,” he said.

Mohamad said that since using the i-Sun Dryer, the community’s income had increased by 65 per cent, from RM1,800 per month to as much as RM17,000, depending on demand, and its use was not limited to salted fish alone.

“Previously, we supplied dried fish around Semporna and Tawau due to limited stock, but with this fast drying process, we now have enough salted fish to enter the markets in Kundasang, Ranau, and Kota Kinabalu. It’s definitely helped increase our income,” he said.

He added that the smart dryer was capable of drying various products, such as noodles and mushrooms, and that the community hoped to expand the business to include fish crackers and mushroom products.

“This can generate income for the community and open up job opportunities in rural areas, and we’re also able to support the government’s efforts to eliminate poverty,” he said.

Meanwhile, Hasdiana Mohd Dachsan, 43, and Asmierah Mohd, 32, said that the project was not just a community initiative for them but a turning point in improving their family’s quality of life and economy.

For Form Six student Muhammad Nadir Abdul Muin, 19, the project carried out by the Kuala Bibang Village Residents Association had given him the chance to make money by cleaning and packing salted fish during the school holidays.

According to him, the extra income had enabled him to save up as he prepared financially to further his studies at a higher level.

SejaTi MADANI is an initiative by the MADANI Government aimed at boosting economic activities at the community level by providing funds of between RM50,000 and RM100,000 to deserving groups.

This approach marks a shift towards empowering grassroots communities to choose their own economic activities, with the government’s role limited to monitoring and offering support.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, when tabling the 2025 Budget in October last year, praised Kampung Kuala Bibang for successfully developing seafood drying technology through SejaTi MADANI.

The technology reduces the processing time from three days with traditional methods to just three hours, thereby increasing the residents’ income to RM25,000 per month.

--BERNAMA