BETONG: Farmers in Betong are set to gain from a new pepper planting assistance scheme, made possible through the distribution of agricultural inputs under the Betong Division Development Agency (BDDA) fund.
The handover ceremony, which took place recently, was held at the Betong District Agriculture Office and marked an important step in supporting the agricultural sector in the area.
The event was officiated by Betong Member of Parliament, Datuk Dr Richard Rapu, who symbolically presented the agricultural inputs to participating farmers.
Richard said a total of 30 smallholder farmers from Nanga Jelau, Jelau Atas, Batu Lintang and Graji Atas were selected for this pilot programme, involving a total allocation of RM360,000, or RM12,000 per participant.
“Each farmer will receive a complete set of inputs for planting 200 new pepper vines, including PVC support poles, cuttings, fertilisers, pesticides and sprayers,” he added.
“This package is introduced as a pilot project to replace costly belian wood poles with PVC pipes, which is a method successfully trialled by the Malaysian Pepper Board in recent years.”
Richard also said that an anchor company has shown interest in purchasing fresh pepper directly from farmers, eliminating the need for drying and expanding opportunities for new downstream products such as pickled pepper, in addition to existing black and white pepper products.
“This is an important step to strengthen the pepper industry and ensure stable supply to meet demand,” he added.
“At the same time, the government remains committed to supporting key crops such as pepper, rubber and oil palm as major sources of income for rural communities.”
