Plantations & Agriculture
From The Report: Sarawak 2015
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As Sarawak’s largest employer, providing a livelihood for about one quarter of the population, the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector stands as one of the state’s key engines, even with the gains in economic diversification made in recent years. Sarawak also plays a central role in Malaysia’s agriculture sector as a whole, producing foodstuffs for local consumption and cash crops to export. Industrialisation within the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy will provide greater demand for agricultural inputs as downstream food processing activity expands. Raw timber exports and the rapid expansion of plantations, particularly of oil palm, are likely to slow over the next decade due to stricter government regulation and enforcement, although downstream industries fed by sustainable timber plantations should continue to thrive. Strong global demand, together with ongoing efforts to modernise and mechanise processing of food crops such as rice, fresh produce and spices, should also contribute to sustained growth in these sectors.

This chapter contains a viewpoint from Dr James Jemut Masing, Minister of Land Development; and an interview with Grunsin Ayom, Director-General, Malaysian Pepper Board.

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Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Sarawak’s agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector continues to thrive even as the sector diversifies
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As Sarawak’s largest employer, providing a livelihood for about one-fourth of the population, the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector stands as one of the state’s key engines, even with the gains in economic diversification made in recent years. Sarawak also plays a central role in Malaysia’s agricultural sector as a whole, producing both foodstuffs for local consumption and cash crops for export. The state was the third-largest contributor to the RM56.1bn ($17.1bn) sector in…

Analysis

Sarawak’s palm oil industry wrestles with concerns over sustainability
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Each year, more and more of the trees on Sarawak’s tropical forests and peat land are felled and cleared as companies look to feed rising global demand for both timber and the products of plantations erected in their place. Such lucrative operations have been practised for decades across Borneo, on both the Malaysian and the Indonesian sides. Yet calls are growing louder to turn the industry towards a more sustainable, longterm strategy that will reduce its environmental impact while ensuring…

Viewpoint

Dr James Jemut Masing, Minister of Land Development, on expediting the development of rural areas
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Sarawak is endowed with a relatively large land mass of 12.4m ha. Land is thus treated as one of the most important resources that can be developed to generate economic growth for the state and the people. Consequently, Sarawak is setting aside about 4m ha of land for the plantation and agriculture sector. These lands are located in the rural areas where the bulk of the poor and impoverished are found. Although they own an estimated 1.5m ha of native customary rights (NCR) land, the native…

Interview

OBG talks to Grunsin Ayom, Director-General, Malaysian Pepper Board
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Interview:Grunsin Ayom What are your projections for pepper prices in the short-to-medium term, given global pepper demand currently outpacing supply and rapidly rising prices? GRUNSIN AYOM: With global demand continuing to outstrip supply, the industry expects prices to remain high for the foreseeable future. Prices for white and black pepper ended at RM38,000 ($10,571) per tonne and RM28,000 ($7790) per tonne, respectively, in 2013, and the average prices of black and white pepper for the…

Analysis

Home grown: Growth in base crops for domestic use paves the way for exports
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A tropical climate, abundant fresh water and vast tracts of land for farming have endowed Sarawak’s agriculture sector with ample resources to achieve sustainability in several staple food categories, including grains, fruits, vegetables and edible oils. While self-sufficiency in rice is still a work in progress, the state’s farmers are now productive enough at growing base crops for the industry to turn towards the more profitable export sector. Increases in productivity and cultivated…

Analysis

Pepper production has performed strongly in Sarawak
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Riding a wave of robust market prices, Sarawak's pepper industry has continued to post financial gains as global demand for the spice continues to grow. The state dominates Malaysia's pepper sector, accounting for roughly 95% of the country's output. As a result, pepper has become a major cash crop supplementing the timber and palm oil industries. First cultivated during the 19th century, Sarawak pepper has become internationally prized for its high quality over the years. BULL RUN: Malaysia…