KUCHING, April 25 — The Plantation and Commodities Ministry is looking at the use of new methods and technology to increase pepper production to return the industry to its glory days, its minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said today.
He said the ministry is looking at the need for farmers to use hybrid planting materials or to migrate to precision farming using new technology to increase production by controlling moisture and the use of less labour.
“These are the things we are looking at,” Fadillah, who is also deputy prime minister, told reporters at his Hari Raya open house at the Construction Industry Development Board Complex in Petra Jaya, Sarawak.
He dismissed claims that the pepper production in Sarawak is a sunset industry with smallholders switching to oil palm.
“What we need now is to increase the production, and help the existing farmers to migrate into the new technology in planting.
“With good agricultural practices, hopefully we can maintain and sustain the quality of Sarawak pepper and capture the high end markets, especially in Europe.
“I believe if we can focus ourselves in that particular area, Sarawak pepper will be back to its old glory days,” he said.
Fadillah said the newly appointed director-general of the Malaysian Pepper Board Jenny George and the yet-to-be appointed board chairman will chart a new direction and strategy that made Sarawak-grown pepper world renown because of its high quality.
“The issue right now is how to get the young people to be involved in pepper planting,” he said.
He hopes that with the introduction of new technology and new methods of planting pepper and more research, more young people will be involved in pepper planting.
Fadillah expressed regret that Sarawak pepper is being mixed with low quality Vietnamese pepper, according to market reports.
“Sarawak pepper is of high quality and highly demanded by the world and if you mix it with low quality products, that will tarnish the image of our pepper and affect marketing strategy and the demand,” he said.
