Boost for Sabah pineapple industry with strategic cooperation in sights

KOTA KINABALU – Sabah and Putrajaya have ended a 14-year impasse on the development of the state’s pineapple industry.

According to Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan today, a strategic cooperation will be established between the federal and state agriculture ministries to boost the pineapple industry in the state.

“Currently, the industry only produces less than RM200 million worth of pineapples per year. With this collaboration, we hope to increase the acreage to 4,100ha in five years with a production value of RM643 million.

“This (cooperation) is seen to be able to increase our participants’ monthly income to an average of RM8,900, and the industry is expected to provide 26,000 jobs for locals,” he said after a meeting with the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry Deputy secretary-general Datuk Badrul Hisham Mohammad at Wisma Pertanian here today.

Jeffrey said Sabah has fallen behind the growing food market, adding federal-state talks over the matter have been going on for 14 years without a resolution.

“This decision was made after careful consideration of the sensitivity of the issue. Agriculture falls under the state list (in the constitution), and we will defend this right.

“In fact, Sabah has already decided we will set up our own Sabah Pineapple Industry Board soon to protect our interests, but it does not mean we cannot cooperate with the federal government on this.”

He said a committee to serve as the meeting point for both Sabah and the federal Malaysia Pineapple Industry Board (MPIB) would be established in the cooperation.

The committee, among others, will decide on the industry’s direction, technology and knowledge transfer with MPIB, said Jeffrey.

Through the collaboration, the federal ministry will assist in land development and centralised production, as well as in the establishment of the fruit valley of Sabah and Rural Micro Business System (RMBS), he added.

Other programmes include the Swiftlet Paradise of Sabah, community farm (kebuniti), Young Agropreneur Programme, Integrated Entrepreneur Development, collection and processing centres and grading and marketing centres.

“Sabah has enormous potential in the pineapple industry. The main issue is the lack of supply of pineapple suckers, or pups, and we must do whatever it takes, including establishing more nurseries, to ensure the industry’s sustainability,” he said.

Jeffrey believes that once the supply issue is resolved, Sabah can position itself as one of the region’s main pineapple suppliers. – The Vibes, October 18, 2021