Technical efficiency analysis for Penang trawl fishery, Malaysia: Applying DEA approach.

Abundant fishery resources in Malaysia can be discovered along The Strait of Malacca. Penang is located in the north of Peninsular Malaysia, or, in the upper part of the Strait of Malacca. However, in the past seventeen years, annual landings of Penang trawl fishery had declined almost 23% and fishing effort had also dropped almost 70%. This research examined the score of technical efficiency and the factors causing inefficiency of sampled trawl vessels in Penang. The information of each vessel on landing per trip, number of workers, fishing effort, diesel consumption, vessels capacity and engine horsepower were collected through survey. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) was applied to examine trawl vessels efficiency. Results obtained based on sixty-nine selected vessels showed that the score of technical efficiency among vessels varied between 0.123 and 1. The average technical efficiency of the sampled vessels was estimated to be 56.6%. The to bit model used to identify factors causing inefficiency showed that echo sounder was the only factor showing significant positive effect on technical efficiency. Factors of skipper characteristics (family background, education, experience and age of captain) and age of vessels were insignificant. Factors like family background, education and experience of captains however, showed negative signs on technical inefficiency analysis. On the other hand, factors like age of vessels and age of captain showed positive signs on technical inefficiency analysis. This research concluded that echo sounder had become an important factor in increasing technical efficiency scores of fishing vessels, and so to maximize the fish landings

The empirical evaluation of productivity growth and efficiency of LSEs in the Malaysian food processing industry

This study investigates productivity growth and efficiency of Large Scale Enterprises (LSEs) in the Malaysian food processing industry. Malmquist productivity index of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was employed to five-digit panel data for the period of 2000-2006. The findings suggest that average Technical Efficiency (TE) of the LSEs was 0.683 during the period of observation, which indicates that the industries are able to expand their output as much as 31.7 percent by using the same level of inputs. Total Factor Productivity (TFP) growth was positive at 7.3 percent, which is contributed by a Technical Efficiency Change (EFCH) of 4.3 percent and Technological Change (TECH) of 3.0 percent. Sub industries of manufacturing alcohol and wine as well as the processing and preserving of meat and meat products shows the highest productivity growth at 84.8 percent and 47.5 percent respectively. On the other hand, the sub industries of processing and preserving poultry and poultry products together with the manufacturing of chocolate are those which have the lowest TFP growth at -30.5percent and -14.8 percent respectively. The significant determinants of the productivity growth, with a positive relationship are public infrastructure, IT expenditure and foreign ownership, while energy price is the determinant with a negative relationship. The main contributor to the TFP growth of the LSEs in the Malaysian food processing industry is EFCH, however, the LSEs can also improve the TFP growth by moving forward the production frontier as well

Economic Evaluation of Rice IPM Practices in MADA, Malaysia

Environmental protection is a basic element of sustainable agricultural development. Agricultural protection practices however can cause negative externalities. One of main concerns of the externality is the negative effects of pesticide. Concerns on the negative effects of pesticide use have motivated the development of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programmes. In MADA, Malaysia the IPM collaborative research support programme (CRSP-IPM) was established to specifically address the widespread misuse of pesticides in paddy cultivation, one of the major rice producing regions in the country. An IPM practice in paddy production initiatives includes research on the optimal use of pesticides, complementary weed control strategies, and alternative cultural and biological controls. Results of this study showed that the programme would generate economic benefits which include improvements in water quality, food safety, pesticide application safety, and long term sustainability of pest management systems. A part of savings in environmental costs and the reduction in pesticide use also reduced operating expenses. The calculated economic benefits in terms of aggregate cost savings per season for 454 farmers were MYR756,393 for insecticides, MYR40,537 for herbicides, and MYR94,753 for fungicides. Keywords: IPM, Adoption, Economic evaluatio

Cabbage growers perception towards environmental and health safety in IPM adoption in the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

Perceptions on the importance of risk avoidance were found to vary depending on the impact category of environmental and health safety. The ranking of five impact categories according to the degree of importance was consistent across the three zones of respondents, starting with humans followed by farm animals, beneficial insects, fish and birds. The willingness to try more environmental friendly practices could have been motivated by their perceptions and beliefs about the harmful environmental impacts of pesticide use. The willingness to adopt alternative pest control practices such as reduced pesticide treatments, cabbage remove hull and pruning, mulching, and biological control was quite high among the farmers. This study showed that IPM programme would generate economic benefits that include improvements in water quality, food safety, pesticide application safety, and long term sustainability of pest management systems

Machining Performance of Ti-6Al-4V Titanium Alloy Assisted by High Pressure Waterjet

The High Pressure Waterjet Assisted Machining (HPWAM) is a machining process that involves high pressure coolant being delivered at the cutting zone. This paper investigates the performance of conventional and HPWAM when machining Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy. The evaluations were based on the tool life, wear mechanisms, surface profile and chip formation. The coolant pressures, cutting speed, feed rate and depth of cut were set at 11-20.3 MPa, 110m/min, 0.15 mm/rev and 0.5 mm respectively. The results showed that improved tool life as much as 195% can be achieved when machining Ti-6Al-4V with HPWAM due to better coolant access at the cutting zone. Surfaces generated when machining with HPWAM were generally acceptable with negligible physical damage. Long and continuous chip formations were observed when machining in conventional coolant supply corresponded to the low coolant pressure. Increasing coolant pressure significantly reduces the chip size, resulting in a reduction in the tool-chip contact and improvement in lubrication at the contact interfaces. This paper provides the understanding and correct use of HPWAM especially when machining Ti-6Al-4V alloy

Proceedings of International Technical Postgraduate Conference 2022

This conference proceedings contains articles on the various research ideas of the academic & research communities presented at the International Technical Postgraduate Conference 2022 (TECH POST 2022) that was held at Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 24-25 September 2022. TECH POST 2022 was organized by the Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya. The theme of the conference is “Embracing Innovative Engineering Technologies Towards a Sustainable Future”.  TECH POST 2022 conference is intended to foster the dissemination of state-of-the-art research from five main disciplines of Engineering: Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Chemical Engineering. The objectives of TECH POST 2022 are to bring together innovative researchers from all engineering disciplines to a common forum, promote R&D activities in Engineering, and promote the dissemination of scientific knowledge and research know-how between researchers, engineers, and students. Conference Title: International Technical Postgraduate Conference 2022Conference Acronym: TECH POST 2022Conference Date: 24-25 September 2022Conference Location: Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia (Hybrid Mode)Conference Organizers: Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia