A Review of Mechanization and Automation in Malaysia’s Pineapple Production

Abstract

This work reviews the current state of the art for pineapple production in Malaysia from the perspective of mechanization and automation. It examines the issues and challenges facing this industry. The review has led us to the conclusion that pineapple production still relies heavily on manual labour. The problems facing this industry is no different than other food crops in that low yield labour and high cost are the primary issues that need to be tackled. Although numerous engineering research work to overcome production issues has been done for crops such as rice and maize, engineering research for pineapples has been scarce. The lack of engineering research literature on this crop presents an opportunity for the scientific community to invest effort in this relatively untapped industry. This work further proposes areas where the use of Industry 4.0 technologies can be exploited in order to increase productivity and reduce input costs. Cyber-physical systems that could address issues in planting, crop maintenance and harvesting are put forth as a possible solution.