MALAYSIA, 28 DECEMBER 2021 - Universal Robots (UR), Denmark-based collaborative robots (cobots) technology leader, today urged local farmers to adopt advanced technology and automation solutions to further foster growth in Malaysia's agricultural sector.
In ASEAN, the agricultural sector has been a significant economic driver. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in ASEAN contributed by the agricultural sector ranged from 0.03 per cent to 22.8 per cent. Accounting for 22.8 per cent, Myanmar and Cambodia contributed to the highest GDP while Singapore had the lowest GDP contribution of 0.03 per cent. Malaysia was ranked eighth among the ten ASEAN countries, contributing 7.4% to its GDP in 2020. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Malaysia recorded a decrease in the production of major commodity crops in 2020. In addition, ageing farmers, rural-urban migration, and 3D (dirty, dangerous, and demeaning) association with agricultural jobs led to a labour shortage.
The shortage of capital investment in Malaysia’s agriculture sector means that smallholder farmers who do not have adequate funding, will not be able to purchase automated hardware such as robotic harvester, which could help combat the labour shortage. Malaysia’s Ministry of Finance (MoF) said that foreign workers’ absence had also resulted in a labour shortage during the movement control period (MCO) which led to a sharp decline in the country’s GDP, including a 1% drop in plantation-related subsector.
“To local farmers, automation may mean traditional industrial robots, which are expensive to purchase, inflexible, space-hogging, and often require robotic engineers for programming and maintenance. However, there are robots that are more adaptable to urban farming purposes. Cobots are versatile and flexible, are designed to work alongside human workers, and can relieve repetitive tasks such as manual pollination so that humans can take on better roles that tap on cognitive and social abilities. Already, farmers and food producers are reaping the benefits of cobots to increase productivity and efficiency in many locales,” said James McKew, Regional Director of Asia-Pacific in Universal Robots.
In 2021, an increasing number of nations including Malaysia saw intermittent and severe cases of agri-food supply chain disruptions. Malaysia's government has since doubled its efforts to aid its agricultural sector, giving subsidies amounting to RM1.7 billion for agriculture. Up to RM1.8 billion will be provided for micro financing programmes including the SME Techno Entrepreneur Incentive Program to increase crop production and food processing through the application of technology for the benefit of 140 farmers and programs.
Augmentus, a leader in easy-to-use and rapid AI-robotics software and a systems integration partner for Universal Robots (UR), has worked together with agri-tech companies in the region to propel the adoption of robots in urban farms. They have worked with Singrow, a developer of innovative agri-tech solutions for producing fruits and vegetables, to automate pollination and harvesting in their strawberry farming through the Augmentus platform. Augmentus partners with Universal Robots, to help businesses like Singrow lower time, costs, and skill barriers while delivering a rapid return on investment (ROI).
“Singrow needed something that would alleviate human errors and improve productivity. They came to know about UR3 cobot, adapted with a camera that would identify flowers using Augmentus' integrated AI technology for effective pollination once the on-board camera identifies the flowers. Additionally, with the use of cameras or infrared scanners, the UR3 cobot is programmed to pick out ripe strawberries,” explained McKew.
Under the current 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP), Malaysia’s agriculture sector will be intensified using smart technologies to increase productivity and strengthen national food security which include adopting high-tech agricultural methods, including big data analysis, artificial intelligence, and precision equipment, such as drones, robotics and sensors. The sector is projected to grow by 3.8 per cent per annum during 12MP and contribute 7% to the GDP in 2025.
In the past, growing temperate produce such as strawberries in tropical countries like Malaysia is almost unthinkable. This can only be made possible with the help of advanced technology in a controlled environment. Living in the era of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) has brought about a heightening interest in food technology and agri-tech.
“Cobots have made dramatic inroads for these processes, giving agriculture the advantages of optimised production and the opportunity to free human workers for more exciting tasks. As a pioneer in the cobots market, Universal Robots ensures that farmers need not worry about the unintuitive programming of robots since cobots are easy to implement, operate and maintain. UR’s partnership with Augmentus has proven that robotics opens up greater opportunities for local food producers to grow temperate fruits that were once deemed impossible,” concluded McKew.
