BAU: A pilot coffee planting project in Kampung Tringgus Bong, Krokong, has blossomed into a successful rural livelihood initiative, transforming smallholder farmers into emerging specialty coffee producers.
Launched around 2022 with 22 participants and 8,800 Liberica coffee seedlings under the state Agriculture Facilitation Fund (AFF), the project was conceived to provide villagers with an alternative to traditional crops such as cocoa, rubber and pepper, some of which had produced low or unsatisfactory returns.
Serembu assemblyman Datuk Miro Simuh said the pilot project, which eventually involved 22 participating farmers, had proven successful, with some planters now earning between RM2,000 and RM5,000 monthly from the sale of coffee cherries and green beans.
“This was my first coffee project in my Serembu area. I thought about what I could do for the villagers and decided to try coffee planting,” he said.
Miro said the Agriculture Department was subsequently engaged to conduct soil tests, which showed that the area was highly suitable for Liberica coffee.
“Initially, many people were sceptical about coffee due to some factors including a traditional mindset that views coffee as a basic food crop rather than a profitable, high-value commodity.
“I chose Kampung Tringgus Bong as the pilot because they were willing to participate. I asked them, if I gave them coffee plants, would they accept them? They said, okay, we would try. That was how it started,” he said.
Following its success, the project has since expanded beyond Tringgus Bong, with coffee now planted throughout the Tringgus area, comprising Kampung Tringgus Bong, Rabak Rotan and Kampung Nguan.
Several other villages within the Serembu constituency, including Kampung Krokong Kaman, Kampung Gumbang, Kampung Padang Pan and Kampung Podam, have also begun planting coffee.
According to the Kampung Tringgus Bong Ketua Kaum Midia Sitat, farmers currently sell coffee cherries for about RM2.50 per kilogramme, while processed and dried green beans fetch between RM32 and RM38 per kilogramme, depending of grades (A, B and C).
The success of the pilot project at Kampung Tringgus Bong has also been driven by collaboration between villagers and the Bau Agriculture Department and private enterprises such as Earthlings Coffee Workshop, which helped farmers adopt improved processing techniques, including handpicking and natural honey processing.
Such practices, coupled with direct-trade and transparent purchasing arrangements, have enabled farmers to command better prices and turn their small plots into viable commercial ventures.
Miro said the quality of Tringgus coffee was closely linked to its soil, which had been tested and found particularly suitable for Liberica.
“Coffee taste normally depends a lot on the soil. The soil provides food and minerals to the coffee plant. These nutrients help the plant produce flavorful coffee cherries,” he said.
