PUTRAJAYA: The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry has announced that an estimated 500 tonnes of coconut will be imported into Peninsular Malaysia each month from February onwards.
It said the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) has taken proactive steps to address the coconut supply shortage by purchasing more mature coconuts from Indonesia, particularly for the upcoming festive seasons.
“Fama is negotiating with new suppliers and also discussing increased purchases from existing suppliers in Indonesia.
“Additionally, Fama has identified coconut cultivation areas in Sabah and Sarawak,” said the ministry in a statement yesterday, Bernama reported.
To strengthen the industry, the ministry announced its collaboration with the Defence Ministry through the AgroDefence Project, focusing on coconut cultivation on undeveloped land owned by the ministry.