KUCHING, Aug 24 — Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin hopes that the Sarawak government can allocate more land in the state for the planting of pepper.
She said Sarawak, which has vast land, is indeed suitable for the cultivation of the commodity, thus meeting the growing demand for pepper supply.
Zuraida said she had already submitted an application for land allocation to the Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development (MANRED).
“There is a demand for pepper. That’s why I have asked for land from the Sarawak government so that the Malaysian Pepper Board (MPB) can start work on new cultivation and the replanting of pepper.
“At the same time we also need to see how we want to diversify our products,” she said when launching the MPB Strategic Action Plan – National Agricommodity Policy (DAKN) 2030 for the pepper sector here tonight.
Elaborating, Zuraida said Malaysia is currently the fifth largest pepper producer in the world, with Vietnam the largest producer.
She said that although Malaysia is listed as among the world’s largest producers, the country’s pepper export value is still small and has the potential to grow.
“This potential can also be seen based on feedback from the Agricommodity Tour that we conducted from January to April.
“Our pepper has received an overwhelming response from other countries. They recognise our pepper as the best, especially when they see the texture and the product itself,” she added.
