JOHOR BAHRU: The national pineapple industry has the potential to be expanded in Sarawak considering the peat and mineral soils available in the state, said Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board (LPNM) chairman Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali.
He said there are four contributing success factors for the pineapple industry in Sarawak which is still rich in land resources compared with the peninsula.
In fact, he said about 2.8 million hectares of land have been identified as having the potential for agriculture.
“Sarawak has clear leadership direction to achieve its vision and mission in the pineapple industry. In fact, Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg himself has announced the target to expand up to 20,000 hectares for pineapple cultivation in the state by 2030.
“Hence, pineapple can be an option here, in addition to the suitability of both peat and mineral soils found in Sarawak, so pineapple (farming) can be expanded immediately,“ he said in a statement.
Earlier, Sheikh Umar Bagharib made a three-day working visit to Kuching, Sarawak starting from Wednesday last week, including attending the launch of the Sarawak Pineapple Industry Seminar 2023, a visit to Sungai Mata pineapple plantation, and attending several meetings related to the industry.
He further said that the Sarawak LPNM has also played an active role since its establishment in 2010.
To date, the pineapple plantation acreage in the state stands at 3,000 hectares, which shows an average increase of around 7.6 per cent per year.
“To achieve the target of 20,000 hectares by 2030, the average increase for the fruit in Sarawak must be doubled to 14 per cent annually, therefore, the Sarawak LPNM will continue to focus on this to realise its aspiration,” he said.
Sarawak also has a new pineapple variety, namely Sarawak Gold 1 or SG1, which has its own features including having a shorter harvesting period as well as its ability of high cultivation density which can expedite the development of the industry in Sarawak.
Towards this end, a Technical Working Group will be formed immediately with industry stakeholders to fine-tune the pineapple development in Sarawak so that appropriate actions can be taken, he said. -Bernama