ALOR SETAR: The Malaysian Cocoa Board (LKM) plans to help farmers open an area of about 200 hectares for cocoa cultivation this year, says the Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry.
It said in a statement on Sunday (June 11) that 110 hectares of the land will be in Sabah, 80 hectares in the Peninsula and 10 hectares in Sarawak.
"Currently, the country's total cocoa plantation area stands at 5,985 hectares, with 3,444 hectares in Sabah, 1,454 hectares in Sarawak and 1,087 hectares in the Peninsula.
"The ministry continues to be committed to implementing programmes to boost cocoa production, among others by increasing the area of cultivation to ensure the survival of the country's cocoa sector," it said in the statement.
It added that Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof attended an engagement session with cocoa plantation operators in Kodiang near here, in conjunction with the Northern Zone’s 2023 Commodity Trek programme.
The session was held at the residence of Zulkifli Romli in Kampung Kubang Menerung, a cocoa smallholder who has been cultivating cocoa since 2015 through the LKM cocoa development programme.
Zulkifli is one of the 14 cocoa farmers in Kedah, and the state has 4.38 hectares of cocoa plantations which are found in Kubang Pasu and Padang Terap districts.
The ministry said the deputy prime minister also visited a cocoa bean processing site.
At the session the smallholders also highlighted the challenges they face including the high agricultural input cost which has resulted in limited use of fertilisers and the issue of lack of youth involvement to continue operating the cocoa farms. - Bernama
