KOTA KINABALU – Blessed with unending verdant hills, the inland district of Ranau – the largest producer of highland vegetables in Sabah – is now set to become a cocoa-producing powerhouse in the region.
This is expected to happen when the Ranau Highland Cocoa Cluster (RHCC) Complex in Kg Napong is completed as scheduled next year.
Federal Plantation Industries and Commodities Deputy Minister Datuk Willie Mongin said that RHCC will become the centre for businesses related to cocoa products, as well as the administration and operations base of Sabah Cocoa Cluster Cooperation Bhd.
“RHCC will become the centre of all cocoa products businesses, including wet and dry cocoa, buying and selling of cocoa products and agro-tourism.
“We expect for the demand for cocoa beans to increase along with the setting up of more conducive facilities in RHCC,” he said when visiting the RHCC construction site yesterday.
Mongin also met with participants of the Cocoa Production Stimulus Programme (Program Rangsangan Pengeluaran Hasil Koko) 2022 at Logan Rest House in Ranau.
A total of 100 small-scale cocoa farmers from Ranau have applied for the stimulus programme, which is part of the 12th Malaysia Plan. It includes initiatives such as new plantations, construction projects of cocoa mini dryers, and technology transition and development activities.
“In Sabah, the stimulus programme would be implemented on 300ha of land. Contractors’ services will be used to open and clean the new land for cocoa planting. This will reduce the financial and physical burden by the small cocoa farmers,” he said.
Mongin said the stimulus programme has seen the setting up of 25 units of mini cocoa processors with the capacity of two tonnes nationwide, which helps small farmers to dry cocoa beans.
The Malaysian Cocoa Board has appointed expansion agents to handle cocoa planting courses and demonstration of new technology to small cocoa farmers under the programme, he added. – The Vibes, May 18, 2022
