Cultivating daun nyirik for extra income
Frozen kelupis seller Kartini Sarkawi sees great potential in the cultivation of daun nyirik (Phacelophrynium maximum), which is used to wrap the traditional glutinous rice cakes.
She said farmers and villagers could consider planting the leaves as a cash crop.
“Daun nyirik could be a great commodity, similar to dabai and durian, because of its high value not just some leaves that grow wild in the forests,” she said.
Kartini said demand for the leaves has increased, especially from kelupis sellers.
According to her, suppliers who can provide the leaves in bulk can see sales of tens of thousands of ringgit, whether they are sourced from the jungle or cultivated on farms.
She said because of the high demand, daun nyirik leaves have risen in price from eight sen to 10 sen per leaf here.
Limited collection areas at present have also meant lower supply.
Most of the leaves sold here are purchased from local tamu, which are mostly stocked by suppliers from Bekenu, Limbang, and Baram.
Kartini said she once purchased 188,000 leaves from a supplier, who charged her RM18,800.
This was to fulfil kelupis orders from Peninsular Malaysia last month.
She explained that for a single container truck filled with kelupis, 200,000 daun nyirik are needed.
Kartini added that kelupis, including those with sambal, have received positive feedback in Peninsular Malaysia and overseas.
“For the international market, the response given by visitors has been phenomenal. Most of them like the uniqueness of the kelupis’ taste and the leaves that give a special aroma to the kelupis,” she said.
Daun nyirik is widely used for wrapping glutinous rice, rice, and other food items.
Grown throughout the year, the leaves are inedible and cannot be processed for any other purpose.