BETONG: The nation’s pepper industry needs to shift from merely increasing output to producing high-quality value products to ensure better income for farmers, says Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad (pic).
The Minister of Plantation and Commodities said the agro-commodity industry’s success should not be based solely on production volume.
She said the country’s strength lies in the quality and identity of Sarawak pepper, which gives it an advantage in penetrating the international premium market.
Malaysia exported 12.8 tonnes of Cream White Pepper worth RM1.024mil from 2022 to May last year to countries such as Japan and Vietnam, while receiving requests from Scandinavian countries.
“When the quality meets market demands, the country’s pepper can be marketed at a higher value,” she said during a seminar on sustainability of the pepper industry here yesterday.
Noraini said that under the national Pepper Planting Sustainability Programme, the government aims to expand premium pepper cultivation by 750ha.
This excludes managing 800ha of mature pepper plants, with a focus on increasing yield, quality and farmers’ income, she added.
She said Sarawak can play a role in the future of the nation’s pepper industry because almost the entire area of Malaysia’s pepper cultivation is in the state.
She noted this requires cooperation between the federal government and Sarawak.
In Betong, 5,070 farmers cultivate 1,102.8ha of pepper, making it an important source of income for the local community.
Noraini added that the industry also needs to expand the use of technology and premium pepper production.
