ROMPIN, March 9 — The Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board (MPIB) has called for more participation in the MD2 pineapple farming activities so as to increase production and meet the rising demand.
Its chairman Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal said MPIB offered various assistance to industry players such as training and being a facilitator in providing incentives to increase the country’s pineapple production.
“So far, the country’s production capacity is 400,000 metric tonnes with a value of over RM500 million a year. However, it is still insufficient not only for the MD2 international market but also for the local market.
“We have planned to expand pineapple farming to Sabah as well as to increase cultivation from 16,000 hectares to 20,000 hectares in line with the 12th Malaysia Plan,” he told reporters during a working visit to the Rompin Integrated Pineapple Plantation (RIPP) at Kampung Tanam here, today.
Also present were the MPIB deputy director-general Mohd Khairuzamri M. Salleh, Rompin Integrated Pineapple Industries Sdn Bhd (RIPI) managing director Mohd Hiswandi Aris and East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC) managing director Datuk Mohd Mazlan Sharudin.
For the record, the RIPP project was developed in October 2010 and completed in April 2015 with an investment cost of almost RM50 million under the ECERDC and private investment of RM180 million, with a total land size of 575.24 hectares.
The MD2 pineapple from the project was branded as ROMPINE and has been exported to Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar, UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, China and Japan.
Dr Sahruddin said the MPIB was trying its best to increase the pineapple production at existing farms from 15 per cent to 50 per cent to maximise profits. — Bernama
