Agriculture Ministry targets RM1.3bil exports of pineapple products this year

ISKANDAR PUTERI: The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry through the Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board (LPNM) is aiming to achieve RM1.3bil worth of pineapple-based exports this year.

Agriculture and Food Security Deputy Minister Chan Foong Hin said that the ministry was also looking to export more fresh pineapple products this year following huge demand from the Middle East and China.

"Based on the LPNM record, our exports have continuously shown signs of increasing from RM642mil in 2020, RM1.1bil in 2021 and RM1.2bil last year.

"So getting RM1.3bil worth of exports for this year is not impossible," he said when met by reporters after his working visit to a pineapple cake shop, Tuzra Marketing, here on Thursday (May 18).

Chan added that 80% of the pineapple exports were sent in canned form to Singapore, Japan, South Korea, the Middle East, and China.

"Sixty six percent of our pineapple products are sent to Singapore due to the close proximity and high demand from the country.

"The demand is usually for the MD2 pineapple variant, and we are currently looking into ways to ensure a sustainable and stable stream of supply to meet the increasing demand not only for export but also for local consumption," he added.

This was in line with the government's target to increase pineapple farmer income to RM8,000 per month under the 12th Malaysia Plan (RMK12) (2021-2025) from the previous RM5,000 under the 11th Malaysia Plan (RMK11) (2016-2020), he added.

"Malaysia controls 0.25% of the global pineapple market exports, so we still have a lot of room to grow and expand our reach," he said.