TAWAU: Deputy Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Chan Foong Hin said now is the best time to venture into the local pepper industry, given the continuous rise in pepper prices, which are expected to remain stable until the third quarter of 2025.
He said that as of July this year, the average price of black pepper had increased by 51 per cent, from RM18,066 per tonne to RM27,240 per tonne compared to the same period in 2024.
Meanwhile, the average price of white pepper also rose by 43 per cent for the period January to July 2025, reaching RM37,407 per tonne from RM26,164 per tonne during the same period last year.
This favourable price scenario is expected to remain stable until the third quarter of 2025, following the recent strengthening trend of the Malaysian ringgit (RM).
He said this when officiating the Tawau Pepper Cultivation Promotion and Encouragement Programme at Tawau Community Hall here Tuesday, which was attended by 250 participants.
Also present were Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan and Malaysian Pepper Board (MPB) Director-General Vincent Sawat.
At the same time, Chan said his Ministry, together with MPB as the implementing agency, remains committed and active in guiding pepper growers across Malaysia to further stimulate the national pepper industry and develop pepper cultivation areas.
In fact, he said, the Government has allocated RM50 million for the implementation of the Pepper Industry Upstream Development Programme (PHIL) under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) from 2021 to 2025.
To date, he added, a total of 5,200 pepper growers nationwide, cultivating a total area of 721.9 hectares, have benefited from the New Pepper Planting Scheme (STLB), with total assistance valued at RM28.7 million.
Meanwhile, 10,587 pepper growers have received assistance under the Mature Pepper Planting Scheme (STLM), covering a cultivated area of 1,824 hectares, involving assistance totalling around RM35.5 million.
Chan said that in Sabah, 132 recipients under the STLB are cultivating 20.9 hectares of pepper, with assistance worth RM769,940.
At the same time, 197 growers cultivating 27.2 hectares of pepper in Sabah have benefited from the STLM, with estimated total assistance worth RM440,000.
Chan believes pepper cultivation in Sabah has great potential, considering the advantage of the State’s hilly terrain and topography, which are suitable for pepper planting.
In addition, he said the State is also equipped with infrastructure, logistics facilities and port access that support pepper trade activities, as well as having an open market for selling agricultural produce such as vegetables, fruits and various fresh and dried food products.
He is confident that the pepper cultivation development will not only impact the State’s economy positively but also generate additional income for existing commodity growers who adopt pepper as an alternative or supplementary crop.
“This industry can also create new job opportunities, especially in the plantation sector,” he said.
As such, he urged Sabahans to seize the opportunities provided by the Government to increase household income through pepper cultivation and the innovation of new downstream products, which could ultimately lead to greater contributions from the agri-commodity sector to the national economy.
He said the food-based downstream product industry is one of the most popular in Sabah, considering the State’s status as a major tourism hub, attracting tourists particularly from China, South Korea and Brunei.
