Housewife reaps extra income from cultivating Wolffia

KANGAR: A 31-year-old housewife has never thought that when she bought aquatic plant Azolla for her fish she would stumble upon the seeds of Wollfia, the world's smallest flowering plants that she is currently cultivating to generate additional income for her family.

Diani Iqlema Mohd Radzi, 31, said if seen with the naked eye, Wolffia is a rootless and leafless plant, only at 0.01 millimetres in size and resembles speck of cornmeal floating on the surface of the water.

"Previously, Wolffia did not fetch any price, but now it can reach up to RM240 per kg, and sold at RM12 for 50gm.

"I found only 100gm of Wolffia seed among the Azolla plant that I bought, so I decided to cultivate it after learning that it is very rare and it can fetch high market price," she told reporters when met at Kampung Behor Gonchar here today.

With a capital of less than RM300, Diani Iqlema said that now she is earning about RM2,000 per month from the sale of Wolffia weeds depending on the demand.

Apart from her local customers, the mother of two also said that she market the plant online through Shopee.

She said she did not expect high demand for Wolffia from the aquarium fish enthusiasts such as fighting fish and guppies, which are trending ornamental pets, and would also take pre-order to meet the demand.

"Many online shoppers choose Wolffia as the natural meal for the fishes because according to them, it contains the right amount of protein for young fish to grow quickly and it does not pollute the water," she said.

Diani Iqlema said she started Wolffia farming using a medium-sized 4x4 fibre container designed by her husband, and now she has nine of such containers, which are placed two different locations in her garden.

-- BERNAMA