Durian and Big Data – Does that sound correct? You might wonder what is the relationship of Durian and Big Data. Apart from both these things appearing exotic, is there anything else? But yes, you read it correctly – the world of Durian is changing by application of Big Data concepts.  In my latest visit to Malaysia, I came across the case how one of our partners in Malaysia is transforming Durian Supply Chain Management by application of Big Data.
The South East Asia’s King of Fruits, the exotic Durian is always in great demand in China and in South East Asian Countries. Especially people are very particular about obtaining the quality fruit from unscrupulous traders, favorite suppliers. Malaysia is one of the largest exporters of Durians. The new system called Mi-Trace, is developed in collaboration from Malaysia Government, Export industry and Platform partners. It links three major user roles – Consumer, Authority and Product Owner – in a transparent information loop to build reliability, authenticity and trust as well as to aid in regulatory compliance.
Consumers can use their smart phones to scan the QR code on the fruit packaging and know its origin, expiry date, production date, exporting and importing companies. They can trace the origins of their purchased products, give their feedback or complaints, and see any alerts, if any, on the products.The wealth of business intelligence accumulated by Mi-Trace can be used to enhance sales and operational efficiency through product trail information, outlet sales efficiency and best-selling items. Mi-Trace tracks and traces any product or trade item that is registered in the system using information gathered from multiple read-points or parties. Also, based on the data entered into the system, it is able to calculate and give early warning on potential risk and fraud to the product owner and authorities.
Regulatory compliance monitoring and control of product flow throughout the supply chain is done using the international supply chain global standard. The system is able to certify and validate information in real-time. Through web services, integration with external certification system is also possible, such as with the Ministry of Agriculture’s certifications. Authorities can also monitor a product’s movement, ‘health’ and status along with its delivery route before it reaches its final destination.
The Mi-Trace system is expected to push up demand for Malaysian frozen durians by 10 per cent. In addition to frozen durians, Mi-Trace can be expanded to other premium agricultural produces or food products. The same concept of Mi-Trace can be extended to include inventory or asset tracking and management systems, and document tracking systems to be used by other sectors.
Welcome Big Data to world of Durians!!!
(Ref: Asian Big Data Science)

– Kaustubh Patwardhan, Director I Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, Ashnik 

Kaustubh (KP) is the Head of Business Development and Strategy at Ashnik. His role comprises of heading Strategic Partnerships, Channels Management and Business Development for ASEAN. With his expansive experience in IT, he plays a pivotal role in strategic initiatives undertaken by Ashnik. Apart from his usual responsibilities at Ashnik, he is passionate about photography, cricket and other sports. He is also an enthusiastic participant in poetic circles and plays.