KUALA LANGAT, July 25 — The state is aiming to become Malaysia's largest melon producer by expanding cultivation areas and adopting modern technology to boost the production of the high-value fruit.
State executive councillor for infrastructure and agriculture Dato' Izham Hashim said the newly launched Selangor Melon Technology Centre will serve as a research and development hub to strengthen the state's melon industry ecosystem.
He said that its melon industry is being developed through a comprehensive approach, covering everything from seed research to commercial production, to ensure a sustainable supply chain and the production of high-quality melons that meet market demand.
"Melons have been one of our priorities for the past few years. That is why we invested in melon seed research, as we see their potential as an everyday food with high economic value.
"The seed research took about two years in collaboration with a seed research company before we successfully developed the seeds we have today," Izham said.
He was speaking to Media Selangor after officiating the launch of the Selangor Melon Technology Centre during the 2026 Selangor Melon and Agro Green Festival today.
Izham added that Selangor now has two melon varieties: Melosel and Masmelon, which are in such high demand that orders have exceeded current production capacity, particularly in the Klang Valley.
As such, the state government will continue investing in research to develop additional melon varieties suited to Selangor's agroecological conditions while meeting growing market demand.
"Alhamdulillah (God be praised), the initiative has been successful, and today these varieties have become well known and highly sought after by consumers. As everyone knows, purchasing power in the Klang Valley is very strong.
"So if we produce high-quality products, marketing them will not be a problem. We need to increase production because even the local market is not yet fully supplied.
"That is why we will expand more cultivation centres using this technology," he said.
Technologies such as rain shelters, fertigation systems, and modern farming methods enable melon cultivation to be carried out more productively despite the high cost of land in Selangor.
"Selangor is a developed state where land is expensive and operating costs are high. If farming is not managed properly and efficiently, it will not generate the returns it should," said Izham.
The state government will also expand cultivation areas by involving community gardens while strengthening the use of technologies such as fertigation systems and rain shelters.
"We will further develop community gardens. There are hundreds of community gardens under local authorities, and we will begin providing assistance in the form of rain shelters and technology because they too will be cultivating melons for the market," he said.
