Kota Kinabalu: The Plantation and Commodities Ministry (KPK) aims to expand the country’s total cocoa farming area to 10,000 hectares in five years from 5,985 hectares currently.
Its Deputy Minister Datuk Chan Foong Hin said the initiative also focuses on premium cocoa planting varieties that can penetrate niche markets through cultivation in identified land areas.
“With the existing market prospect assurance for cocoa within the country, it is hoped that this commodity will be allocated funds to expand up to 10,000 hectares as targeted, with an initial allocation of RM3 million for the year 2025,” he said during the question-and-answer session in Parliament on Monday.
He was replying to a question from Riduan Rubin (Independent-Tenom) who wanted to know about KPK’s efforts to empower the cocoa industry.
Chan said the ministry also plans to brand and promote local premium cocoa products as single-origin cocoa and unique-flavoured cocoa, to enable cocoa producers to promote the uniqueness of the local cocoa flavor, attracting both local and international chocolate makers.
He added that the ministry generated various technologies and innovations through research and development activities to address major pest issues in the cocoa industry in the upstream sector at one time.
“The board (Malaysian Cocoa Board) is actively transferring technology and promoting research and technology adaptation activities,” he said.
Chan said, among others, to strengthen the cocoa marketing chain by establishing lead cooperatives in each region.
To date, three cooperatives are serving as umbrella bodies to ensure the marketing of farm produce and domestic smallholder cocoa processing sectors is protected, especially in terms of sales prices and providing additional value-added benefits to the products.
“With the introduction of the ‘farm-to-table’ approach, cocoa producers can benefit from the income chain of products from their respective farms.
“Encouragement of cooperative membership participation is also actively being carried out to strengthen cooperative membership in all three cooperatives,” he said.
Chan added that the ministry and the board are also promoting the introduction of new technologies and the adaptation of existing technologies in agricultural practices both to increase productivity and facilitate farm management with the application of the latest technology through mechanisation, Internet of Things and others.
“This initiative can enhance the youth’s interest to participate in the upstream sector. Marketing support serves as the strength for cocoa entrepreneurs or smallholders to continue cocoa cultivation in the country and subsequently become contributors of dried cocoa beans in line with industry requirements,” he said.
