KOTA KINABALU, Feb 8 — The Sabah Government has reaffirmed that the cultivation, importation and research of guarana plants are still banned in the State, thereby refuting the claims made by Keningau Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan that the crop is legal and disease-free.

State Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister Datuk Jamawi Jaafar said this position is based on plant quarantine laws and official notifications from the Brazilian government, the country of origin for guarana.

He noted that the Malaysian Department of Agriculture has clarified that the importation and cultivation of guarana are not permitted in Malaysia, including Sabah, and at the State level, no approvals have ever been granted.

“The Ministry, through the Sabah Department of Agriculture, has never approved permits for the import, breeding, or cultivation of guarana.

“Any guarana plant material present in Sabah has been brought in illegally,” he said in a statement.

Jamawi explained that the ban aims to protect the State’s agricultural industry, particularly the rubber sector, from the risk of dangerous diseases such as South American Leaf Blight (SALB), which can lead to latex yield loss and tree mortality.

He elaborated that guarana originates from the Amazon Basin in Brazil, which has been identified as an endemic area for SALB, a fungal disease classified as a serious pest under the Plant Quarantine Act of 1976.

“Sabah has over 241,000 hectares of rubber plantations with an output of nearly 76,000 tonnes per year.

“The risk of disease entry could jeopardise the income of smallholders and the state’s rubber industry,” he stated.

In response to claims that guarana seeds planted in Sabah have been quarantined and are disease-free, Jamawi emphasised that any plant material not following the official importation and quarantine procedures is in violation of the law. — Daily Express