PUTRAJAYA, July 8 — The government is carrying out various initiatives to strengthen the total kenaf industry value chain to turn the industry into a new agricommodity growth source that contributes to the nation’s revenue.

Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali said a consistent effort would continue to be made to ensure high value-added kenaf-based products were used widely in various sectors including construction and biocomposite.

This was in line with the Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry’s (KPPK) objectives of enhancing product marketability and venturing into new markets, he said when officiating a webinar on the kenaf industry roadmap today.

Mohd Khairuddin said to support the industry’s development, the government provided several incentives and initiatives to the target interest groups, including planting incentives, raw material support assistance, processing facilities and technologies, and advisory services. 

Recognising that the kenaf industry had also been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, KPPK, through the National Kenaf and Tobacco Board (NKTB), would continue to offer various alternatives to assist the affected groups in addition to introducing new initiatives and innovations, including conducting online human capital development and technology transfer programmes.

He said NKTB had spearheaded successful efforts at the upstream, midstream and downstream levels through major programmes such as the Integrated Kenaf Industrial Park (IKIP) and the Kenaf for People Programme (KUR), which is focused on seed production, kenaf core and premium fibre production.

On the midstream level, he said the kenaf product processing and production could yield RM18 million in revenue after a year of full operation.

He disclosed that NKTB, through a strategic partnership with the industry, had developed Kenafcrete, an industrialised building system (IBS) composite material for the construction industry, whereby a 660 sq ft house had been built using the technology under the Hardcore Poor Housing Project (PPRT) in Kg Solok Punggai, Ayer Molek, Melaka.

A building with office facilities and showroom measuring 700 sq ft had also been successfully constructed using the technology, he said.

Mohd Khairuddin said the agricommodity sector recorded an export revenue of RM68.1 billion in the January-April period this year.

The commodity export value also registered an encouraging 66.5 per cent growth compared with a 40.9 per cent growth for the corresponding period in 2020, he added.

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