SIBU: Pepper smallholders especially those in Sarawak will continue to be assisted so that they can stay above the national poverty line, says Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusuf.
"The income of smallholders seems unable to make them jump out of the poverty line on their own. So we have to find ways to increase their production right from seed production, planting process, and distribution process," said the Deputy Prime Minister at a press conference after visiting the Malaysia Pepper Board here on Friday (Jan 6).
He said the board was also considering a suitable cash crop for pepper smallholders to plant to increase their income due to the fluctuating price of pepper.
"We want to ensure that the agencies under the Plantation and Commodities Ministry will also look for ways to encourage smallholders to continue involvement in pepper planting but at the same time in other activities like planting other cash crops so that they can improve on their income," he said.
Assistance in the form of fertiliser, pesticide and technical training would continue to be given to the smallholders, he said.
Fadillah said of the 38,134 pepper planters in the country covering a total area of 8,013ha, 90% of them or 3,714 (7,816ha) were from Sarawak.
The Plantation and Commodities Minister said the government wanted to ensure that pepper from Sarawak continued to be of premium quality.
"We want to give the assurance that Sarawak's pepper is of the best quality so that it will be a premium pepper. Currently, pepper from Sarawak is still being recognised as the best in the world. We have to maintain this but at the same time, we need to improve the whole planting process so that the pepper produced by the state is premium pepper," he said, adding that the ministry was also collaborating with research agencies and universities to produce better quality pepper.
Fadillah added that his ministry was also collaborating with research agencies and universities to produce fertilisers that are more suited for pepper planting.
"They are currently doing a pilot project producing organic fertiliser in Song. If this is successful, their dependence on imported chemical fertiliser will be reduced thus bringing down the cost of planting," he said.
