‘e-pekebun’ ensures subsidy reach genuine pepper planters

KUCHING: Malaysian Pepper Board ( MPB) Sarawak branch has initiated ‘e-pekebun’ with the primary objective that subsidy from the government reaches the target group.

Deputy Minister of Primary Industries Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin said e-pekebun would also ensure that only genuine pepper planters would receive the subsidy.

“For now, e-pekebun is confined to Sarawak, and I thank MPB Sarawak branch for the initiative, because we want the subsidy from the government to really go to the target group the pepper planters,” Shamsul told a press conference before touring the National Pepper Development and Extension Centre ( NPDEC) project at Semenggok, near here, yesterday.

Shamsul was here for a working visit to attend briefings and meetings with MPB Sarawak senior officers. He added that epekebun would eventually be extended to all states, but presently the focus is only Sarawak.

e-pekebun was initiated following the Auditor- General’s Report, and Shamsul hoped it would help to develop the country’s pepper industry.

He was also glad to note that MPB Sarawak was making a concerted effort to develop pepper downstream activities, knowing that Sarawak spice has been acknowledged by World Health Organisation (WHO).

“Sarawak spice has been a brand name and has gained recognition by WHO, and this brand name will become a capital for us to go for high value- added pepper downstream activities,” he said, adding that the NPDEC project would help to support the country’s pepper downstream industries.

He went on to say there was a suggestion to set up a whollyowned MPB trading company, to buy and sell pepper, adding it was also stipulated in the MPB Act.

On the NPDEC project, Shamsul said he was satisfied with the 30 per cent progress, but added that a meeting would be held with Sarawak Public Works Department (JKR) to ‘find solution to those minor parts that hinder the project’.

The RM40 million project on 18 acres parcel of land started in Aug last year, and is scheduled for completion in February 2020.

MPB director general Dr Harry Entebang was also present at the press conference.