Kpg Belawai's ‘sesar unjur' goes green with new eco-friendly tech
KUCHING (June 12): An engineering solution has enabled the community in Kampung Belawai, Tanjung Manis to produce 'sesar unjur' (smoked prawn) more efficiently while contributing to the conservation of local mangroves.
In a joint statement, WWF-Malaysia and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) said the new technology allows locals to shift from producing smoked prawns using mangrove logs to using a machine specially engineered to perform the work without the need to cut down mangroves.
Fatimah Lain, a 67-year-old local resident, praised the new technology, noting that it is less labour-intensive and requires minimal effort.
'Unlike the traditional method, the machine does not require constant monitoring. In traditional smoking, we had to regularly check and control the fire.
'This new approach is not only easier but also more cost-effective, as it uses significantly less mangrove wood,' she said when met following a training session for 'sesar unjur' producers and handover of the smokehouse and machine to the local community, in Kampung Belawai recently.
Fatimah expresses her delight after learning a new method of producing 'sesar unjur'. – Photo from WWF-Malaysia
The smokehouse pilot project was brought to the community in Kampung Belawai by WWF-Malaysia in collaboration with the Faculty of Engineering of Unimas and the Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC).
This smoked prawn processing technology is developed to help reduce community's dependence on mangroves to smoke their famed 'sesar unjur' — a seasonal, high-value product, fetching up to RM180 per kg in local markets.
The version produced along the Belawai-Rajang-Paloh stretch is especially prized for its distinct smoky aroma, traditionally achieved using mangroves as firewood.
'The conventional smoking process lacks temperature and smoke control, leading to excessive mangrove harvesting during peak seasons and raising concerns about the sustainability of mangrove forests as well as the supply of firewood.
'On the other hand, the Rajang-Belawai-Paloh mangrove ecosystem is vital to the livelihood of the community, who are mainly fishers, and home to various coastal wildlife species including the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris),' added the statement.
The seasonal surge in 'sesar unjur' production is said to place immense pressure on the ecosystem, risking unsustainable harvesting of mangrove wood, thereby disrupting biodiversity and threatening long-term ecological stability.
According to WWF-Malaysia Sarawak Conservation Programme senior manager for landscapes Ailyn Nau Sidu, the Rajang-Belawai-Paloh mangrove complex covers nearly 94,000 hectares, making it the biggest in the state.
She cautioned that if the mangrove complex is not managed sustainably, there are risks of losing more forest mangroves, which would eventually impact fish and marine mammal populations.
'Fish are the community's livelihoods, and so are the marine mammals, especially the Irrawaddy dolphins, which have the potential to be an ecotourism attraction to the area,' she said.
Prawns successfully smoked using the machine. – Photo from WWF-Malaysia
Thanking Unimas, SDEC, and the local community for their support in the project, Ailyn also shared that initial research from the university showed that the machine has reduced the use of mangrove wood successfully by 80 per cent to produce 'sesar unjur' against the traditional method.
Additionally, Unimas Faculty of Engineering, led by Dr Abang Mohammad Nizam Abang Kamaruddin, developed a prototype system with improved heat and smoke control technologies under SDEC funding in 2022.
Later, under the leadership of Deputy Dean of Research and Innovation Dr Annisa Jamali, the faculty developed and deployed Smoking Automation with Hybrid-heat Sources (SMOKAHs) — a modular smoking system powered by electricity and/or solar energy.
SMOKAHs integrates multiple heat and smoke sources within a controlled chamber, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and unsustainably harvested wood while preserving the authentic flavours of 'sesar unjur'.
Piloted with other communities from Tebelu to Igan, SMOKAHs is now recognised as a viable solution for preserving traditional food practices in a sustainable way.
The machine significantly reduces processing time — from a full day to just three to four hours — and produces prawn that complies with European Commission Food Standards, with significantly lower polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) levels compared to traditional methods.
According to the team's certified Greenhouse Gas professional Ir Ts Dr Lidyana Roslan, SMOKAHs also achieves up to 80 per cent reduction in carbon emissions.
A single smoking cycle consumes only 1-2 kg of mangrove wood, compared to 20.72 kg used in conventional methods to process the same quantity (16 kg) of 'sesar unjur', a breakthrough in both environmental conservation and production efficiency.
Tanjung Manis community leader Pemanca Morshidi Moris, who is also Belawai Mukah Berhad Cooperatives chairman, said this is the second smoked prawn machine introduced in Belawai.
He noted that the first machine, introduced under a different initiative and organisation, was unsuccessful due to a lack of community involvement.
'Local smokehouse operators were involved from the start of the machine's development by Unimas and WWF-Malaysia, with their feedback incorporated into the design.
'For example, the use of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) instead of full electricity was incorporated based on suggestions from the community, aiming to reduce operational costs.
'While the taste of smoke prawns produced by the machine has not yet fully matched that of traditional methods, the outcomes are very similar — achieving about 70 per cent similarity,' he said, adding that the machine will be operated by cooperative members. eco-friendly Kampung Belawai sesar unjur smoked prawn WWF-Malaysia
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