Balik Pulau’s depleting past – Part 1

BALIK PULAU – Other than durian, nutmeg is a prized produce of the countryside town of Balik Pulau, located on the flipside of the bustling heritage and industrial side of Penang island. It is the only place in Malaysia where nutmeg trees can produce fruit that will later be shelled, dried, grounded and made into a spice.

The town was established by the British East India Company in 1794, and with it sprung nutmeg plantations. The cultivation of nutmeg, along with cloves, were encouraged to cover the administrative costs of the island.

Because Balik Pulau is hilly and close to the sea, it became the perfect place to cultivate nutmeg and it continues until today.

According to Gile Milton in 'Nathaniel's Nutmeg: Or the True and Incredible Adventures of the Spice Trader Who Changed the Course of History', nutmeg was worth more than its weight in gold during those times as it served as an excellent meat preservative and it was believed to be an all-around cure – from plague and as a sexual stimulant. It is said that a sackful of nutmeg could set a man up for life, complete with a house and a servant to attend it.

Family-run Ghee Hup Nutmeg Factory is the sole producer of nutmeg products grown in the area. Owner, Chang Kun Mim, is the third generation tending to the nutmeg plantation that was discovered by his grandfather by accident.

“My grandfather came from China and worked as a labourer for the British in 1905. After working hard and saving enough money, he managed to buy this land.

“As he was tending this land, he found a nutmeg tree, though the land was not used to cultivate any nutmegs. He supposed a rodent might have eaten the fruit and discarded the seed here, so he decided to start planting nutmeg.

“He started the plantation and when it was passed down to my father, he created a product from nutmeg which was nutmeg assam boey drink.

“When it was passed down to me, I started diversifying the types of products that can be made from nutmeg such as nutmeg balm, nutmeg oil, nutmeg juice, nutmeg syrup, pickled nutmeg fruit and more,” he told The Vibes.

Other than several locations in Indonesia, Balik Pulau is the only place in the region that can successfully cultivate the spice.

In 2006, there were plans by the state government to revive Balik Pulau as the main nutmeg producer and to make nutmeg the island's premier crop.

The then state Agriculture, Agro-Based Industry, Rural Development and Flood Mitigation exco, Datuk Azhar Ibrahim promised the planting of 4,000 nutmeg saplings that year. However, nutmeg production in Balik Pulau might not see a promising future.

Emily Chang, now helming Ghee Hup Nutmeg Factory’s business operation, told The Vibes that many of those living in Balik Pulau own land used for agricultural purposes.

“We grow nutmeg in our land, but it is not enough to satisfy the demand, so we also buy nutmeg grown by landowners here. Other factories import nutmeg from Indonesia to process, but whatever we produce here is only from Balik Pulau – it has a different taste.

“Currently, most of the land is passed down to the younger generation.

“Of course, during their father’s time, they believe in working the land, but now, the younger generation would rather sell off the land, get the money and buy homes in the city because they do not want to live in the countryside,” she said.

In the past few years, the selling off of land to developers have been rather rampant.

“Honestly, there are too many housing developments here and all of them are empty.

“I don’t know why they keep building houses when no one is staying in it – there is no point because I feel that it is a waste of land when it is prime land for plantations.

“We need more greenery, it is no good if there is too much housing development,” she said.

In recent years, parts of villages, agricultural land and paddy fields have been replaced by two to three storey terrace houses with contemporary architecture. Though the western plains have always been a quiet counterpoint to the bustling eastern portion of the island, operating like yin and yang, the equilibrium might be slowly tilting out of balance.

Can Balik Pulau continue its development while maintaining its outback serenity known for its lush greenery, vast paddy fields and simple village life? – The Vibes, September 13, 2021