In an exclusive interview with BusinessToday, Fabio Tiviti, Senior Vice President & General Manager, ASEAN-India, Infor shares his thoughts Malaysia’s agri-food sector and how technology is changing the whole industry.
How can Malaysia’s farmers leverage smart software to drive farm-to-fork innovation, and build resiliency and security across the local food chain?
Local farmers can look to leverage digital tools and Industry 4.0 technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), cloud and automation — many of which are already being applied to revolutionize farm-to-fork processes across the agri-food sector globally.
Real-time intelligence, for instance, can enable farmers to monitor their crops at each stage of the farming lifecycle — from production and harvest, to wholesale, retail, and even distribution. This allows farmers to gain greater visibility of their operations at once, without the need to manually monitor each batch and crop, which can be both time and labour intensive.
Farmers can also leverage predictive analytics systems, which allow them to forecast potential disruptions to their harvest and build predictability into what would typically be unforeseen or unprecedented farming conditions, such as weather volatility, or pest infestations. Having this visibility then equips farmers to better manage the multiple variables involved in the farming process and make the necessary adjustment, thereby enhancing the strength and resiliency of their operations, and the local food chain.
By managing these manual tasks with smart software and automation, farmers can be freed to focus on what truly matters: ensuring the quality of their harvest and managing the various operations across their farm.
What are the field of opportunities that lie ahead for Malaysia’s agri-food sector, especially as more smallholder farmers incorporate advanced technologies into their operations?
There are opportunities aplenty in the field of agri-food, especially as Malaysia looks to scale its investment in both the tools and technologies, as well as training for farmers in the relevant technical skills.
For a start, farmers can leverage technology to streamline conventional, labor-intensive, and time-consuming processes, increasing farming capacity, efficiency, and productivity in return. Modern software also grants farmers the agility to pivot their farming operations as necessary, in response to natural disasters and weather conditions, or adapt to fluctuations in consumer demand. Having this visibility and foresight will enable farmers to ensure that their crop yields are maximized in each season, and farming operations are resilient — ultimately paving the way for a more secure and sustainable food future for all Malaysians.
Beyond the costs of transformation, what’s hindering tech adoption across the agri-food sector? What more must be done to address these challenges, and encourage agri-preneurship?
Where the costs of transformation are concerned, farmers must realize that the long-term benefits of investing in technology will far outweigh any short-terms costs that may need to be borne up-front. The local government recognizes this, and has made strides to address these concerns, with funding and investment in modern software for agri-food, as well as programs to incentivize farmers and accelerate tech adoption under its National Agrofood Policy 2021-2030.
At the same time, however, what must also be addressed is the necessary shift in mindset for farmers — many of whom are more accustomed to conventional farming processes, and thus, wary of digital adoption in this field. More must be done to educate and help farmers understand the need for agri-transformation, and how they can leverage modern software to reap greater rewards. This can be accomplished through partnerships with local government agencies or industry associations to roll out educational programs for farmers, outlining everything from the benefits of agri-tech to technical skills training in operating basic machinery.
At the end of the day, it is important to understand that everyone stands to benefit from agri-preneurship — from smallholder farmers to the everyday consumer — and pave the way for enhanced food production and security for Malaysia.
