Farmer’s coconut dehusking invention gets a shot at cracking the durian market

KOTA BHARU, Aug 17 — A coconut dehusking invention, created by 56-year-old plantation entrepreneur Che Adnan Che Kadir, has garnered a four-star rating and is now being considered for commercialization to meet the demands of the agricultural industry. Che Adnan revealed that the judges of the Kelantan Department of Agriculture’s 2026 Agricultural Technology Innovation Competition suggested adapting the device for durians and other fruits, with durians identified as the primary target due to their challenging nature.

The device, which Che Adnan designed for his own farm, won him the farmer category award, giving him the opportunity to represent Kelantan at the national level during National Innovation Week in Putrajaya at the end of September. The department, Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi), and polytechnics judged the invention at the state level.

Che Adnan expressed his enthusiasm for further development, stating that support from the Department of Agriculture will enable him to compete at the national level and secure an innovation grant to refine the design and meet industry needs. The 3.5kg device, initially created in 2024, significantly reduces the time and risk involved in dehusking coconuts, cutting the time needed by hand from 2 to 3 minutes to about 1 minute.

Che Adnan hopes the adapted device will become a practical, safe, and home-grown innovation, benefiting farmers and potentially entering wider markets.