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By Mihar Dias (C) Copyright June 2023
For years, I have watched how durian lovers struggled to pry open the fruit.
Usually, one hand is placed on its thorny skin while the other is used to pry open with a machete or a kitchen knife. Without gloves, you risk pricking your fingers on the sharp thorns or, worst, accidentally cutting off your limb should the fruit slip from your fingers and roll over.
Accidents do happen to people who are in a great hurry to get to the best part of the fruit.
Getting to the best part of the durian is always a risky venture for a durian lover. Monkeys just use their sharp teeth to get to the flesh quicker than a human with a kitchen knife.
Recently, a friend forwarded a gadget to pry open a durian with ease. One of those that I had imagined but never got around into creating it much less getting it patented or manufactured for the durian market.
The gadget is similar to a pair of pliers, except when you press the handle, it operates in reverse. Inserting the front end into the bottom part of the durian easily opens the fruit without a struggle.
I have attached a video as illustration and a brochure where you may be able to get more details about the gadget. I am not endorsing the product because I have yet to try it myself.
However, if you had tried it, do share your experience here with us. I am sure everyone would like to know its effectiveness before spending their money on this innovative gadget.
Malaysia has other products that require technical innovations.
Besides durian, there is petai that is now sky rocketing in price. But we have difficulty in plucking them from the tall trees.
Without Orang Asli, there is no otter means for us to get to the petai pods in the jungle. At RM113.90 per 200 grammes, an innovation to get to the petai efficiently and effectively would boost the collection process.
Similarly, plucking young coconuts from tall trees. In some remote provinces on the East Coast, monkeys have been suitably trained for the task.
In India, on the other hand, they have developed a self-raising chair to hoist a climber to the tree top for a similar function.
However, the biggest market for such agricultural innovation is the palm oil industry, which still relies heavily upon humans to harvest the fruits.
I am looking forward to the day when technology will be of great assistance to the palm oil plantations to harvest palm fruits more efficiently without having to rely heavily on imported labour that is getting more scarce and expensive.
If you have an innovative idea, do forward it to Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), the agency currently tasked to look into the advancement of the palm oil industry.
But if you are like the inventor of the reverse pair of pliers for durian, then go ahead and design one and get it patented.
You'll be glad you did because technological innovation for the palm oil industry is in great demand. You stand to make a fortune for your innovation.
PMX and his Cabinet may want to encourage our Madani nation to push for innovations rather than waste energy and resources on less rewarding activities.
Mihar Dias is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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