12,199mt of pepper worth RM490.2 mln exported last year

SRI AMAN: Malaysia, the world’s fifth largest pepper producing country, exported 12,199 metric tonnes of the commodity worth RM490.2 million last year.

The slight decrease was due to the high production in Vietnam. Japan was our top export destination, registering export value worth RM142.9 million. Other export destinations included South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and China. Datuk Datu Nasrun Datu Mansur, Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities

Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Datuk Datu Nasrun Datu Mansur, in disclosing this, however, said the export value recorded a slight drop of 4.6 per cent against the export value of RM513.9 million in 2015.

“The slight decrease was due to the high production in Vietnam. Japan was our top export destination, registering export value worth RM142.9 million.

“Other export destinations included South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and China,” he said when launching the ‘Let’s Plant Pepper’ Sarawak roadshow jointly organised by the ministry and Malaysian Pepper Board ( MPB) at the civic centre here yesterday.

Nasrun said Malaysia produced a total of 29,245 metric tonnes of pepper last year, a slight increase from 28,300 metric tonnes produced in 2015.

Vietnam emerged as the world’s largest pepper producing country last year with total production of 140,000 metric tonnes followed by Indonesia (70,000 mt), India (48,500 mt) and Brazil (45,000 mt).

Pepper plantations in Malaysia are being run by 67,304 smallholders, 95 per cent of whom are Bumiputeras.

Nasrun said the federal government had allocated RM16.8 million for the development of the pepper industry in Sarawak over a period of two years ending this year.

Of the amount, RM2.5 million is specifically allocated for 1,560 smallholders in Sri Aman.

Nasrun was delighted to announce that the prices of pepper have been stable since the end of last year. The average prices of black and white pepper were RM19,000 and RM31,000 respectively per metric tonne this month.

He hoped that smallholders would take this opportunity to boost their production so as to make a more lucrative income.

Meanwhile, MPB director- general Dr Harry Entebang said Malaysia had a total pepper planted area covering 16,768 hectares last year while the total planted area in 2015 was 16,333 hectares.

This year, he said the board expected about 1,000 more hectares to be planted with pepper.

“About 98 per cent of pepper plantations are found in Sarawak, which has 16,516ha followed by 236ha in Peninsular Malaysia and 16ha in Sabah,” added Harry.