PETALING JAYA: Techna-X Bhd wholly owned subsidiary Wavetree Technologies Sdn Bhd (WT), currently with the largest agriculture Internet of Things (IoT) deployment footprint in Malaysia, Indonesia and South America, has signed a five-year partnership agreement with Sabah-based Borneo Eco Star Sdn Bhd (BES) to jointly develop and commercialise a Smart Integrated Aquaculture Platform for sustainable aquafarming in Malaysia.
WT will be deploying an aquaculture IoT solution worth an estimated RM2.6 million for BES’s planned 102 ponds at UiTM-BES Innovation and Smart Aquaculture Centre.
Smart Integrated Aquaculture Platform will utilise the latest technologies in IoT and artificial intelligence (AI) combined with aquaculture expertise and operational knowhow to create an advanced IoT-based platform accessible to all scale of operations.
“This platform is poised to spur the adoption of technology-enabled prawn and fish farming in Malaysia and the region, enabling farming operations to benefit from a science-based and data-driven approach to maximise efficiency, reduce costs and maximise yield. We believe the Smart Integrated Aquaculture Platform will revolutionise the aquafarming industry and further promote sustainable farming practices,” said BES CEO Shim Yen Lin.
Under the five-year partnership agreement, WT will deploy the IoT technology, software platform, data analytic and AI technologies for the digitalisation of data capturing and the analysis of such data. Amongst some of the capabilities of the Smart Integrated Aquaculture Platform includes automatic environmental monitoring, waterquality sensing and control, feed optimisation, fish/prawn health monitoring, workforce management, as well as yield prediction, utilizing IoT wireless sensors, mobile app, cloud-based AI and big data analytics.
“Sabah has been a successful state in aquaculture farming and we are excited to be partnering BES in this innovative development for the aquaculture industry as this will see a capable technology being deployed in Malaysia for the aquaculture industry.
“WT has been supporting the digitalisation of the palm oil industry in Malaysia, Indonesia and South America with its IoT technology solutions. We believe our technology and experience will contribute greatly to BES and UiTM’s Innovative and Smart Aquaculture Centre in Kota Kinabalu. The resultant IoT platform will also benefit both small and large scale aquaculture businesses alike,” said Techna-X head of technology division and WT CEO Vince Ng.
With over 400,000 metric tonnes of aquaculture production worth RM3 billion, the industry in Malaysia stands to benefit greatly from digitalisation and automation. As the IoT-enabled smart farming solutions become more accessible, this market is estimated to be worth RM147 million in Malaysia in 2021 and will be expected to grow to RM313 million by 2026.
