Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok diclosed that the nation's cocoa export as of last year amounted to RM3.7 billion. During that same period, the cocoa industry of Malaysia grounded 299,525 tonnes of cocoa seeds; thus produced a variety cocoa based products such as cocoa butter, cocoa paste and cocoa powder.
He added that the main export markets were the United States, Japan and Europe. On that note, Dompok added that Malaysia is Asia Pacific’s largest cocoa grinding nation and the world’s fifth largest after the Netherlands, Cote d’Ivoire, Germany and the United States.
The government has allocated RM25.2 million to develop 3,147 ha in order to To facilitate cocoa cultivation in the form of new cocoa farms nationwide last year and this year.
Apart from that, A total of 630 ha. in Sabah has been identified for the new cocoa farm programme this year. This include:
- 205 ha. in Ranau,
- 200 ha. in Tenom,
- 100 ha. in Tawau and 1
- 25 ha. in the state’s north coast.
These development was stated by the Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister in his speech at the launch of a cocoa cluster farming course and annual general meeting of the Ranau Cocoa Growers Association, yesterday, 28 February 2013. Dompok urged interested land-owning Sabahans to apply for assistance from the fund. Programme participants will get a RM8,000 incentive per hectare, in the form of quality cocoa seedlings, agricultural inputs, cocoa growing courses, and farm clearing assistance.
In order to raise the productivity of current cocoa farms and rehabilitate less productive ones, the the government has also approved a RM28 millin allocation to the Malaysian Cocoa Board this year.
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