adminKOTA BHARU: Efforts to expand the development of the kenaf industry in East Malaysia are being actively carried out in Sabah and Sarawak through a series of strategic collaborations and the opening of large-scale plantations.
Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Noraini Ahmad said development initiatives in Sabah were led through close collaboration with Sabah Land Development Bhd (SLDB).
He said the Sabah Agriculture Department had also approved an import permit for the entry of special kenaf seeds.
“These seeds are specifically for distribution and planting in the Sook District, Keningau, which has a potential planting area of up to 200 hectares for the purpose of producing seeds and livestock feed.”
“As a pilot measure, a five-hectare trial plot for livestock feed production will be implemented with SLDB’s subsidiary, Sabah Livestock Dairies Breeder Sdn Bhd, which is expected to begin in May 2026,” he told reporters here yesterday.
To support the industrial ecosystem in Sabah, a seed and feed processing centre is also planned to be built.
Noraini said the development of kenaf in Sarawak was focused on collaboration with Syarikat Juta Walet Trading and Services.
The collaboration targets a planting area of 234 hectares for the cluster farm project which will produce fiber, seeds and livestock feed.
He said the potential for kenaf cultivation in Sarawak was expected to continue to grow with an estimated area of 500 hectares covering the Miri and Sarikei areas.
Apart from that, the Texo Engineering Company is also exploring the potential of a 150-hectare plantation area for the same production purposes.
“To complete the value chain and processing in Sarawak, a kenaf seed processing centre will be built in Bintulu. It will be supported by another kenaf processing centre operating in Ulu Sebauh, Bintulu,” he said.
— BERNAMA
