KUCHING, Jan 6: The Malaysian Pepper Board (MPB) Sibu Branch processed 928.67 metric tons of black and white pepper for export purposes last year.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Plantation and Commodities Dato Sri Fadillah Yusof said there are 38,134 small pepper farmers in Malaysia with a cultivation area of 8,013 hectares.
Sarawak controls 98 per cent of the total, which is 7,866 hectares of pepper plantation area with a capacity of 37,461 small farmers in the State.
The Sibu division has 494.93 hectares of pepper cultivation area with 3,402 smallholders.
“Throughout 2022 (last year), MPB Sibu has distributed a total of RM7.6 million in pepper assistance to 346 small pepper farmers.
“Of these, 96 people are beneficiaries of the New Pepper Planting Scheme (STLB) amounting to RM3.3 million, while a total of 250 people benefit from the Mature Pepper Planting Scheme (STLM) amounting to RM4.2 million,” he said during his work visit to MPB Sibu Branch today.
To date, MPB has nine branch offices throughout Sarawak supervised by the Sarawak Regional Office, namely in Serian, Sri Aman, Betong, Bintangor, Sarikei, Bintulu, Miri, Belaga and Sibu, as well as two regional offices each in Peninsular Malaysia (Johor) and Sabah (Kota Kinabalu).
At MPB Sibu, the facilities included a Dry and Wet Processing Plant and Heat Treatment Plant for pepper processing activities and a Quality Control Laboratory.
The activities carried out at the premises include quality control and grading services, pepper processing activities, and implementing the Pepper Cultivation Development Programme by distributing agricultural inputs, farm equipment, and farm infrastructure assistance. — DayakDaily
