This past week, it was announced that the Malaysian Institute of Microelectronic Systems (MIMOS) will be working to help agriculture and aquaculture production throughout Malaysia with the use of IoT. As the agricultural sector accounts for almost 10% of the GDP and nearly 24% of Malaysian land is built for farming, it is crucial to support the growth of these industries.
MIMOS has created several solutions catering to agricultural development. For example, in 2012 MIMOS developed a sensor called Mi-MSCAN TpH. It has multisensory capabilities to collect environmental data. This would be suitable for use in the agriculture and aquaculture sectors as they have the ability to measure the soil nutrients in a specific plot of land.
MIMOS also developed an agricultural framework for use of IoT in these sectors. It is just a matter of time before the agricultural sector goes through a digital transformation, taking advantage of these tools.
Ahmad Helmi Abdul Halim, MIMOS Senior Director for Corporate Strategy, was reported saying he is hopeful that IoT can be fully integrated within these industries by the year 2020. If done successfully, production in the agricultural sector will have expected worth of USD$319 million by 2020.
It is expected that in implementing IoT within these industries, farmers and ranchers will receive a greater return on their crops. It would also bring knowledge on agricultural stocks and increase employment opportunities within the agricultural sector.
However feasible this proposal may seem, integrating IoT within these sectors can only be done through the help of telecom companies, the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry, and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
As we have seen in Indonesia, embracing modern agricultural practices will be the way forward. Once leadership accepts this, it will be easier to implement across the industry.
Mr. Ahmad Helmi Abdul Halim expressed that MIMOS would help Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority to provide guidance on IoT application usage. MIMOS will also drive graduates to look at opportunities in the agricultural and aquaculture industries, as the food production field has room for growth.