SEPANG: Harumanis mango enthusiasts in Sabah can now enjoy the sweet and juicy tropical fruit, as half a tonne of the Perlis icon product has been flown to the Land Below the Wind today.

The first shipment of Perlis’ Harumanis mangoes via AirAsia flight AK5104 from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2) was made possible through the cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries (MAFI) and airasia farm, a subsidiary of AirAsia.

“The Harumanis (industry) is not only capable of increasing the income of 2,415 farmers in Perlis, but also bringing a huge impact on the economy and agro-tourism industry and its supply chain nationwide,” MAFI Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee said at the flagging off ceremony of the first shipment of Harumanis to Sabah at klia2 here, which was also attended by AirAsia Group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes.

The shipment of Harumanis mangoes to Sabah is part of the “Harumanis Returns” campaign to promote the fruit, which began on April 11.

Ronald said the Department of Agriculture has targetted Harumanis mango production in Perlis to reach 3,336 tonnes with a value of RM66.7 million this year, 50 per cent of which will be sold online through the e-commerce platforms, such as airasia food, airasia fresh and agrobazaar online.

Meanwhile, airasia farm general manager S.Lalitha said the first shipment of Harumanis to Sabah as an export commodity was done by leveraging airasia group ecosystem and technology such as Teleport, as well as airasia food and airasia fresh e-commerce platforms.

She said the synergy with MAFI had also made it possible to ship the Harumanis to Sabah within 72 hours after harvest so as to preserve its freshness.

“We believe that technology and digitalisation will not only add value to the agriculture sector but also improve the entire supply chain of the country’s food industry right from production to distribution and consumption,” she explained.

Lalitha said the long-term goal of airasia farm is to provide better value and benefits to thousands of Harumanis farmers in Perlis so that they can generate greater income for their harvest online and across the region in the future.

The Perlis Harumanis can be ordered online at airasia fresh and airasia food in the peninsula and through Foodpanda in Sabah. 

-- BERNAMA