SIBU: Minister of Plantation, Industries and Commodities, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok urged pepper farmers in the state to work and expand their existing holding.
BRING IT UP: Dompok (second right) watches a worker hoisting a bag of pepper at the treatment plant. On his right is Nanta.
He said that pepper planting was a lucrative endeavour and pepper was ranked fifth in the commodity sector that contributed much to the country’s coffer. Just like many other commodities, pepper had huge potential in Malaysia and also in the world market.
Speaking when officiating at the opening of a Steam Treatment Plant at the Malaysian Pepper Board (MPB) office in Jalan Teng Kung Suk here yesterday, Dompok revealed that the country earned RM198 million from the commodity in 2010 compared to RM154 million in 2009.
“The income from pepper exports in the first eight months of this year increased by 29 per cent to RM155 million compared to RM119 million in the corresponding period last year.”
On the prices of black and white pepper, he said that in 2010, the average price for black pepper was RM13,484 per tonne, and RM22,029 per tonne for white pepper.
“On Nov 4 (this year), the price of black pepper was RM17,400 per tonne and RM27,300 per tonne for white pepper.
“This is the highest price ever recorded in the history of pepper industry in Malaysia,” Dompok said.
On another subject, the minister said that the government had approved the National Commodity Industry Policy (Dasar Industri Komoditi Negara) for 2011-2020 as a strategic plan to strengthen the commodity sector and its contribution to the country’s economic development.
The policy is aimed at making the commodity sector in line with the main industries, and to make Malaysia the centre of commodity products by 2020.
“It is hoped that the policy could bring greater development in the plantation commodity sector and eventually create a high income society by 2020,” he said.
He said, despite experiencing instability in the world economy, Malaysia recorded a 4.4 per cent economic growth in the first six months of this year.
He also expected that the revenue derived from the commodity export would reach RM120 billion this year.
“This growth is drawn by the increase in commodity prices and the increasing demand for commodity products in the local and overseas markets,” he said.
Referring to the Pepper Steam Treatment Plant here, Dompok said it was a part of strategic plans towards creating high quality pepper.
“The product differentiation would increase the demand, and strengthen the competitive edge of Sarawak’s pepper in the global arena,” he pointed out.
Also present at the event were Assistant Minister of Agriculture (Research and Marketing), Datuk Mong Dagang, MPB chairman Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi and a director Grunsin Ayom.