KUCHING - The youth community is encouraged to grab the opportunities to venture into the cocoa industry following the Malaysian Cocoa Board's (MCB) plan to develop 200 hectares (ha) of new cocoa plantations across the country this year, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
Fadillah who is also the Plantation and Commodities Minister said trained local youths are needed to expand the potential of the commodity, in line with the wants and needs of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0) which focuses on the use of mechanisation and automation technology.
"We are moving towards IR4.0...that is why we need youths as they are trained technically and are gadget-friendly. And, we are using all technologies to ensure that we modernise the plantation and agriculture sector in whatever way we can benefit so that industry players reap higher revenue,” he said when met by reporters after attending an agricommodity employment dialogue and briefing session here, today.
According to him, to enhance the country’s cocoa plantation industry, the Ministry of Plantation and Commodities (KPK) would study the cocoa industry ecosystem comprehensively involving upstream, mid-stream and downstream.
"Normally, big companies have the funds to shift to mechanisation and automation, however, for (small) companies and smallholders, they can apply for assistance from the government and we are ready to help,” he said.
On June 11, 2023, KPK in a statement announced that the new 200ha plantation areas for cocoa covers 110ha in Sabah, 80ha in the Peninsula and 10ha in Sarawak.
Currently, the country's total cocoa plantation area stands at 5,985ha, with 3,444ha in Sabah, 1,454ha in Sarawak and 1,087 hectares in the Peninsula. - BERNAMA