KUALA LUMPUR, 26 JAN 2022 – Techna-X Berhad (“Techna-X” or the “Group”) (KLSE:TECHNAX) wholly owned subsidiary, Wavetree Technologies Sdn Bhd (WT), currently with the largest Agriculture IoT deployment footprint in Malaysia, Indonesia and South America, has signed a 5-year partnership agreement with Sabah-based Borneo Eco Star Sdn Bhd (BES) to jointly develop and commercialize 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 utilize the latest technologies in IoT and A.I. 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 maximize efficiency, reduce costs and maximize yield. We believe the Smart Integrated Aquaculture Platform will revolutionize the aquafarming industry and further promote sustainable farming practices.”, said Shim Yen Lin, CEO of BES.
Under the 5-year partnership agreement, Wavetree will deploy the IOT technology, software platform, data analytic and A.I. technologies for the digitalization of data capturing and the analysis of such data. Amongst some of the capabilities of the Smart Integrated Aquaculture Platform includes automatic environmental monitoring, water
quality sensing and control, feed optimization, fish/prawn health monitoring, workforce management, as well as yield prediction, utilizing IoT wireless sensors, mobile app, cloud-based A.I. and Big Data Analytics.
“Sabah has been a successful state in aquaculture farming and we are very 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. Wavetree has been successful in supporting the digitalization 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, while playing a significant role in the nation’s drive towards food security and resiliency against climate change.”, said Vince Ng, Head of Technology Division of Techna-X / CEO of Wavetree.
With over 400,000 metric tonnes of aquaculture production worth RM3 billion, the industry in Malaysia stands to benefit greatly from digitalization 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.
BES recently in December 2021 signed an MoU with UiTM, to establish a long-term partnership on the development of a state-of-the-art Innovative and Smart Aquaculture Centre (UiTM-BES ISAC) in Sabah, an initiative supported by Bumiputera Agenda Steering Unit (TERAJU) under the Ministry of Special Duties of the Prime Minister’s Department. UiTM-BES ISAC aims to transform and improve aquaculture farm management using latest monitoring tools with Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data that will benefit both the farming industry and students in agriculture studies.
WT is a leading Agriculture IoT technology company in Malaysia with the largest Agriculture IoT deployment footprint in Malaysia, Indonesia and South America. WT has previously deployed IoT solutions covering over 50k hectares of oil palm plantations and is currently developing and commercializing end-to-end smart agriculture platforms for vertical-specific farming such as durian plantation, bird’s nest farming and aquaculture.
Techna-X businesses in Energy Storage, Smart Mobility, Smart Agriculture, Smart City, Smart Data Analytics and Telco/Broadcast are some of the fastest growing in the region. The Company’s most recent announcements include joining a consortium to undertake a series of corporate exercises to raise fund and finance 5G and fiber optics related projects by Digital National Berhad as well as Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.
