Revitalizing the Coconut Industry in Malaysia
A Good Model for Proactive Policies, National Investments and Implementation Strategies
By: Romulo N. Arancon, Jr., Executive Director
The first ever National Coconut Conference in Malaysia after a few decades was held at the Swiss Garden Hotel in Perak, Malaysia on 28-30 July 2009. The Conference was inaugurated by the Hon. Dato Wira Mohammad Johari Bin Baharum, Deputy Minster of the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry in behalf of the Minister, the Honorable Dato’ Noh Omar.
The meeting highlighted the latest global and domestic technological developments in the coconut industry and the opportunities available to expand its utilization horizon and aspects of the Malaysian government’s revitalization policies, investments and its implementation.
The other specific objectives of the meeting were to assess and deliberate on the government’s policies, investments and implementation plans towards revitalizing the coconut sector and the future imperatives for its growth, and to create opportunities for mutual interaction and forge networks among the various stakeholders in the coconut industry value chain.
Coconut in Malaysia is the fourth important crop in terms of acreage, after oil palm, rubber and paddy. The coconut industry in Malaysia has significant socio-economic implications as it provides a source of revenue and employment to some 80,000 households. In addition, it supports a number of vibrant small and medium coconut-based processing industries and exporters with a positive trade balance of about RM 81.2 million. Reports have indicated that there is an increasing demand for raw material for the local coconut based processing industries for local consumption and for the expanding demand and market for coconut products worldwide
Thus, it is very interesting to note that the Government of Malaysia has put up proactive policies and concrete investments to revitalize its coconut industry and increase coconut productivity with the existing land devoted to the crop. In spite of the decreasing land planted to coconuts, the Government of Malaysia is determined to increase coconut farm productivity and the income of the smallholders through appropriate policies, investments and implementation strategies.
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