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KUCHING, June 10: The Malaysian Ministry of Plantations and Commodities (KPK) will extend the 2023 Commodity Trek programme to Sabah and Sarawak within the next two months.
With the theme ‘Driving the Sustainability of National Commodity for the Wellbeing of the People’, the programme serves as a medium for the Ministry’s top management team to directly visit and obtain feedback from smallholders and industry players in the commodity sector.
Deputy Prime Minister Dato Sri Fadillah Yusof, who is also KPK Minister, has flagged off the inaugural event at the First Rubber Tree, Kuala Kangsar, in Perak today.
The programme for Northern Zone’s Commodity Trek event will commence for three days starting today (June 10) where the Ministry will look into the timber company in Sungai Bakap, Penang; the rubber industry in Baling, Kedah; the cocoa cottage industry in Kodiang, Kedah; as well as Chuping and Beseri district in Perlis for kenaf industry.
“The event will be continued in two other zones, namely Sabah and Sarawak, for the interesting exploration of other agricommodity sectors, namely oil palm and black pepper.
“Through involvement and a programme like this, it is hoped that the sustainability of agricommodity products will be achieved comprehensively.
“In addition, the Ministry also encourages the use of mechanisation and automation technology, smart farming, as well as applications based on the Internet of Things (IoT), which are proven to increase the productivity of the plantation and commodity sectors,” he said during the event.
Last year, the number of smallholders in the agricommodity sector totalled 801,002 people, of which 335,264 were in the Peninsula, 101,177 were in Sabah, and 131,960 were in Sarawak. — DayakDaily
