KUALA LUMPUR: The Plantation and Commodities Ministry has proposed developing a new 500-hectare cocoa plantation in Sarawak to establish the state as Malaysia’s primary production hub under the 13th Malaysia Plan.
Deputy Minister Datuk Chan Foong Hin announced the Sarawak Cocoa Development Programme will likely launch next year through collaboration with the Sarawak government and Malaysian Cocoa Board.
The ministry will allocate RM35,000 per hectare over three years for planting activities including contractor appointments, participant registration, and cocoa crop development via outsourcing.
Chan revealed these details during the Dewan Rakyat question-and-answer session while responding to a supplementary question from Rodiyah Sapiee.
Under the 13th Malaysia Plan, the ministry also intends to provide agricultural inputs and equipment for 800 existing smallholders across 600 hectares in Sarawak with an annual RM3,000 per hectare allocation.
The ministry has already implemented five major programmes worth RM7 million in Sarawak through the Malaysian Cocoa Board under the 12th Malaysia Plan’s Rolling Plan from 2022 to 2025.
These include the Cocoa Yield Enhancement Programme covering Asajaya-Sebuya-Simunjan areas to boost production efficiency.
Additional initiatives comprise the Fine Flavour Cocoa and Organic Cocoa Planting Material Development Programme alongside the Agricultural Modernisation Programme involving 329 farmers across 311.4 hectares.
All programmes aim to strengthen the cocoa industry’s competitiveness while ensuring sustainable contributions to national economic growth.
The government remains dedicated to increasing smallholder incomes and expanding cultivation through replanting and Fine Flavour clone introductions. – Bernama