KUCHING: The Johor government is using Sarawak as a model to enhance the development of its black pepper industry.
Datuk Zahari Sarip, Chairman of the Johor State Committee for Agriculture, Agro-Based Industry, and Rural Development, mentioned that this decision follows the announcement of the 2025 Budget by Johor Menteri Besar, Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, which allocates RM500,000 for black pepper development.
He noted that Sarawak was chosen because black pepper cultivation in the state is carried out individually rather than by large corporations.
“Therefore, it is a suitable model for implementing black pepper cultivation programs in Johor as we intend to start small.
“The RM500,000 allocation will also be used to develop 10 hectares of land for pepper cultivation in Johor,” he told reporters during a working visit to the Malaysian Pepper Board (MPB) today.
He added that currently, the state only has about 20 hectares of land for pepper cultivation, involving approximately 100 farmers.
According to him, this involves an annual black pepper production of about 78 metric tons, which is relatively small compared to records in Peninsular Malaysia showing that around 3,000 tons of black pepper are imported annually from abroad.
“It presents a significant opportunity for Johor to pursue black pepper cultivation.
“We also hope that this visit can help us develop black pepper cultivation programs to be implemented in Johor later,” he mentioned.
Meanwhile, MPB Director General Vincent Sawat stated that MPB welcomes and supports the state government’s efforts to develop the pepper industry, particularly in Johor.
“We indeed aim to expand pepper cultivation, and state government support in assisting will motivate us.
“This is also part of our strategy to develop the pepper industry in Malaysia, and this morning’s discussion (January 21) will serve as input for planning programs under the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13),” he emphasized.
Earlier, during the program, Zahari also took the time to visit the processing plant as well as the Research and Development (R&D) section at MPB, in addition to visiting pepper farms in Kampung Rejoi, Bengoh Resettlement Scheme (BRS), and Kampung Begu, Padawan.
