Chinese cabbage and its cultivation

- cultivated by hand at cameron Highlands, chinese cabbage seeds come from Taiwan
- using a planting tool from South Korea, pour a little bit of seeds into the tool, sliding back and forth and let the seeds drop into every hole
- insert the tray of shredded coconut husk and align the pipes to the outlets
- press the white panel and the seeds will drop into every pod

- put another layer of shredded coconut husk to cover them
- add water-based fertiliser which is gaining popularity as it has a higher absorption rate and can distribute nutrients evenly to plants
- water once daily as germination rate is fairly high & transfer to land after 15 days

- chinese cabbage loves water but once it's about a week old, it's watered only once every 2-3 days
- as the soil in Cameron Highlands is relatively dense, the soil must be turned twice
- first to loosen the soil, then the fertiliser is added and the soil is turned again to distribute the fertiliser evenly

- each sapling is then planted 6" apart and inserted just deep enough to cover the roots
- water regularly after planting and spray organic insect repellent every 3-4 days (contains chrysanthemum, lemon grass and other similar ingredients) after 2 days
- ready for harvest after 20 days

- farm harvests an ave of 200 kg of chinese cabbage daily using a special tool
- grab it by the base and uproot it, and slice off the roots
- not all agricultural chores can be done by machines

- from cultivation to packaging, massive manpower is required
- chinese cabbage from Cameron Highlands is significantly bigger
- 5 tonnes of chinese cabbage are exported to Singapore daily
- 8-hr car journey set off at 8pm daily to reach Singapore by 4am the following morning in trucks with cold storage facilities to keep the chinese cabbage fresh
- cultivation techniques are very vital at every point of the cultivation process