Kantan or torch gingers are tropical plants native to Southeast Asia, widely used as ingredients in Malaysian cuisine. It complements a lot of dishes with its signature tangy, floral and spicy flavor, which is why kantan cultivation has grown into a thriving community-based business in Taiping, Malaysia, thanks to the vision of former engineer Abdul Halim Abdul Majid.
The 50-year-old Abdul Halim, along with his business partner Mohammad Hazwan Mohamad Nor, has successfully produced more than 15,000 kantan seedlings since 2022 under their project, Kantan Taiping. The duo experimented with producing 800 seedlings, but bulk orders and a strong market demand caused a rapid growth in their operations. Today, their seedlings reach customers as far as Johor, Kelantan, Pahang, Kedah, and Perlis, marketed mainly through Facebook.
Kantan plants are hardy and low-maintenance, flowering within a year and fetching for about 50 sen (USD 1.47) per bloom in local markets. Seeing an opportunity help others in the community, Abdul Halim encouraged low-income groups in their area to use their own yards for kantan seedling cultivation. “Instead of leaving land idle, planting kantan is a better option.” Abdul Halim said in an interview with Bernama.
Since then, several households have cultivated nearly 3,000 seedlings, which Kantan Taiping buys back to boost family earnings. Through kantan farming, Abdul Halim not only gained a steady income, but also gained a means to help their local community.
With the growth of Kantan Taiping, the business has also diversified into value-added products, most notably sambal bilis or anchovy relish with kantan, which has received strong local support. Abdul Halim and Hazwan hope to expand this product line for overseas markets.
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