Pineapples go from field to fortune
Fruitful industry: Mohamad (left), Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup (right) and Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board chairman Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali (second from right) looking at bags made from pineapple threads. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
JOHOR BARU: Malaysia's pineapple industry has grown into a billion-ringgit venture, with farmers earning up to RM9,000 a month, marking a major milestone in the country's agri-food success story.
Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said the nation recorded RM1.3bil in pineapple output value in 2024, a 34% increase from the previous year.
He added that the country's pineapple production volume rose 17% to 520,000 metric tonnes, cultivated across 13,000ha of productive farmland.
'This shows that pineapples are not just a fruit we enjoy, but a true engine of rural economic development,' he said at the inaugural Malaysian Pineapple Day celebration yesterday.
Mohamad said Malaysia now has over 8,000 pineapple growers and more than 300 companies involved in the sector.
The self-sufficiency level for pineapples has reached 103%, enabling Malaysia to meet domestic demand and expand its export potential.
He highlighted the case of a Johor farmer who doubled his income from RM180,000 to RM350,000 annually by making use of drone technology.
In Pahang, the Hijrah Asnaf Pineapple Farming programme has helped 18 participants, mainly from underprivileged groups, earn monthly incomes of up to RM5,000 after just a few months of cultivation.
'The Federal Government has allocated RM75mil for pineapple development in Sarawak under the 12th Malaysia Plan.'
Mohamad praised Sarawak's innovation in using pineapple waste as livestock feed and the launch of the new Sarawak Gold variety as an alternative to the MD2 premium hybrid.
Mohamad said in Kedah, artificial intelligence and satellite imaging are being used to monitor crops, boosting yield by 30% while reducing operational costs by 40%.
He said these technological advances are helping Malaysia prepare to meet growing demand from foreign markets such as China and Singapore.
Mohamad said Johor remains the top pineapple-producing state in the country, contributing 68% of total cultivated land.
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