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KENINGAU: The Sabah Rubber Industry Board (LIGS) distributed 1.44 million MD2 pineapple tendrils to 598 Additional Economic Activity (AET) participants with a total allocation of RM5.6 million so far this year, its Chairman Datuk Edward Linggu said here.

He said LIGS is committed to further developing the MD2 pineapple industry in Sabah by aiming to reach 2.5 million tendril plantings by 2025.

“This goal has already been translated through the AET project being implemented by LIGS,” he said at the handover ceremony of the MD2 pineapple tendrils aid for AET project this year at the LIGS Pamalan Rubber Nursery here.

He said the AET programme consisted of several types of businesses with potential to provide significant returns to the participants involved.

According to him, in 2021 the AET project was further developed with a new business, MD2 pineapple plants, where LIGS had implemented this project involving 212 participants and then 305 in 2022.

“The MD2 pineapple AET project started in 2021 and produced 65 tonnes on July 12 this year with a farm purchase value of RM150,000. It is increasing from time to time.

“I am also aware that there are a number of MD2 pineapple entrepreneurs under the guidance of LIGS who have reached an encouraging level of income. Three participants from the Keningau and Tenom districts have been selected as example entrepreneurs with an income of around RM3,000 to RM6,000 per season,” he said.

Edward said these selected entrepreneurs were given the opportunity to receive assistance in terms of equipment in the hope that they would be able to increase and expand MD2 pineapple cultivation in the future.

He hoped these selected participants would take this opportunity as best as possible so that they could jointly advance the pineapple industry in Sabah and become one of the foremost producers of MD2 pineapples in the future.

Also present at the event were LIGS Board of Directors Member, Charles Ikang; State Deputy General Manager of LIGS Sabah (Processing and Marketing Division), Alexsius Modiun; Assistant General Manager (Processing and Marketing Division) of LIGS Sabah, Chia Ching Lian; AET Regional Officer, Herman Ronie; Interior Regional Officer, Richard Wong Sin Tien; West Coast Regional Officer, Haji Syarifuddin Leslying; and supervisory officers and LIGS staff.

At the event, Edward handed over pineapple tendrils to 10 participants from Keningau and Tenom respectively. 

This was as the Introduction of the AET Pineapple MD2 Project this year where each LIGS participant received 5,000 tendrils.

Edward also gave equipment assistance to three participants who managed to generate income between RM3,000 to RM6,000 per season.