ABS-Crop (Profile)


The Local Fruit Industry - Overview

 

Current status of fruit industry

 

Smallholder based industry:

  • Farms are generally small, poorly managed, low productivity

Little value-added processing:

  • The industry is still at infant stage

At farm level (farmer):

  • Lack of credit
  • Inability to take risks
  • Lack of awareness of market need
  • Isolation from the market
  • Lack of knowledge on customer's need of the products
  • Inability to respond to market needs


Table 1: Fruit Planted Areas in Sarawak

Type of Fruits
Area Planted (Ha)
 
Year 2003
Year 2004
Year 2005
Durian

10,308
10,383
10,393
Rambutan
4,754
4,864
4,933
Banana
3,332
3,414
3,500
Langsat
2,769
2,991
2,994
Cempedak
2,831
2,843
2,894
Pineapple
2,058
2,303
2,359
Sweet orange
1,654
2,187
2,191
Mango
1,108
1,174
1,255
Melon
821
987
1,017
Honey orange
654
609
462
Jack fruit
448
511
533
Mangoesteen
332
398
400
Pomelo
29
258
296
Star fruit
251
233
231
Papaya
254
194
209
Guava
170
161
172
Ciku
83
69
71
TOTAL
32,124
33,579
34,210


Table 2: Major Producing Areas of Fruits in Sarawak

Type of Fruits
Major Producing Areas (Division in the State)
Durian Kuching
2722
 Kapit
1554
 Samarahan
1552
Rambutan Kuching
665
 Samarahan
606
 Kapit
590
Banana Samarahan
1074
 Kuching
619
 Miri
350
Langsat Kuching
837
 Kapit
345
 Miri
325
Cempedak Kuching
616
 Betong
380
 Sibu
278
Pineapple Samarahan
651
 Betong
419
 Bintulu
329
Sweet orange Samarahan
1001
 Bintulu
199
 Sibu
162
Mango Kuching
315
 Betong
148
 Limbang
124
Melon Kuching
469
 Samarahan
304
 Betong
89
Honey orange Sarikei
284
 Samarahan
184
 Bintulu
93
Jack fruit Kuching
137
 Samarahan
113
 Betong
68
Mangoesteen Kuching
160
 Samarahan
78
 Sri Aman
41
Pomelo Sibu
85
 Sarikei
53
 Kuching
53
Star fruit Samarahan
88
 Kuching
49
 Sarikei
49
Papaya Kuching
58
 Samarahan
46
 Sarikei
34
Guava Kuching
67
 Samarahan
36
 Sarikei
19
Ciku Kuching
24
 Samarahan
11
 Sri Aman
11

Major producing areas: Kuching, Samarahan, Sibu, Sarikei


Table 3: No of Fruit Farm Operators during the year 2006 in Sarawak

Type of Fruits
No. of Operators
Average Farm Size (ha)
Durian
17,939
0.6
Rambutan
14,438
0.3
Dokong / Langsat
10,194
0.3
Cempedak
6,952
0.4
Banana
4,323
0.8
Mango
2,167
0.6
Other Fruits
20,266
0.5
TOTAL
76,279
0.4


Table 4: Annual Production of Fruits in Sarawak

Type of Fruits
Area Planted (Ha)
 
Year 2003
Year 2004
Year 2005
Durian
29,900
37,745
37,536
Rambutan
11,643
15,633
15,185
Banana
28,,854
29,357
30,877
Langsat
6,642
13,661
12,960
Cempedak
9,239
11,053
11,476
Pineapple
34,626
44,656
45,858
Sweet orange
7,435
16,552
13,885
Mango
2,446
2,413
2,600
Melon
11,685
15,432
15,997
Honey orange
2,031
3,053
3,205
Jack fruit
2,004
2,446
2,414
Mangoesteen
599
1,077
1,081
Pomelo
1,142
1,128
1,163
Star fruit
1,492
1,244
1,249
Papaya
2,451
2,193
2,379
Guava
1,066
1,071
1,052
Ciku
303
221
222
TOTAL
153,558
198,935
199,142


Table 5: Fruit Per Capita Consumption (kg) in Sarawak

Type of Fruits
Year 2004
Year 2005
Year 2006
 
Sarawak
Malaysia
Sarawak
Malaysia
Sarawak
Malaysia
Durian
12.13
4.51
12.18
4.95
12.49
5.65
Banana
7.07
6.49
7.00
7.10
7.27
8.10
Pineapple
3.04
1.26
3.05
1.38
3.13
1.57
Rambutan
3.07
1.99
3.04
2.18
3.12
2.49
Papaya
3.02
6.47
3.04
7.10
3.12
8.10
Melon
1.60
4.52
1.56
4.96
1.60
5.66
Jack Fruit
1.21
0.09
1.22
0.10
1.25
0.11
Sweet orange
0.99
0.03
0.99
0.03
1.02
0.04
Guava
0.47
1.00
0.47
1.10
0.48
1.26
Star fruit
0.27
0.24
0.27
0.26
0.28
0.29
Mango
0.25
2.71
0.25
2.97
0.26
3.39
Mangoesteen
0.03
0.25
0.03
0.28
0.03
0.31
TOTAL
33.15
29.56
33.1
32.41
34.05
36.97


Table 6: Estimated Yearly Fruit Consumption in Sarawak

Type of Fruits
Estimated Consumption (tonne)
 
Year 2003
Year 2004
Year 2005
Durian
29,597
33,000
36,256
Rambutan
7,030
7,837
8,611
Banana
16,186
18,047
19,827
Pineapple
7,053
7,863
8,639
Sweet orange
2,289
2,552
2,804
Mango
578
645
708
Melon
3,607
4,022
4,419
Jack fruit
2,821
3,145
3,457
Mangoesteen
69
77
85
Star fruit
624
696
765
Papaya
7,029
7,837
8,611
Guava
1,087
1,212
1,331


Table 7: Import and Export of Fruit for the Year 2005 in Sarawak

Type of Fruits
Import
Export
 
Weight
(tonne)
Value
(RM)
Weight
(tonne)
Value
(RM)
Mandarin orange
52,245
8,682,061
28
83,024
Pineapple
77
207,241
0
0
Other Tropical Fruits/ fresh/ dried
1,063
1,825,989
65
92,400
Grapes
1,067
4,743,286
16
62,400
Apples
3,936
8,351,697
18
36,100
Dates, fresh / dried
1,495
5,451,725
0
0
Other non-tropical fruits, fresh /dried
3,722
6,464,302
9
21
Edible nuts, fresh / dried
193
2,130,450
16
1,0975
Groundnut and edible oil
1,205
6,813,719
3
2,9327
Mixture of fruit and nuts
2
27,890
0
0
Jams and fruit jelly, marmalade
589
2,745,453
54
13,1848
Fruits and nuts preserved
31
352,837
0
0
Fruit and nuts frozen
6
52,822
0
0
Fruits, nuts, other edible plant parts, prepared or preserved
1,279
4,960,304
2
2,7127
TOTAL
19,911
52,809,776
208
493,742

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Issues and Challenges
  • Inconsistent supply and quality of fruits
  • Unorganised fruit small holdings, small individual farm units
  • Unsuitability of fruit varieties for most downstream processing
  • Limited local market
  • Inadequate technology - post harvest handling, mechanization, package technology for pest control
  • Marketing chain problem
    • Inadequate transport, handling facilities and storage facilities
    • High transport cost
    • Packaging quality and cleanliness
    • Little or no incentive to improve produce quality as higher quality is not rewarded by better prices at farm level
    • Lack of direct trader-farmer linkages / access to market
    • No traceability
  • Growing concern over product quality and safety
    • Reported deaths from fresh fruit consumption
    • High pesticide residue detected in fruits
    • Bacterial infection fruits
  • Customers are more demanding
    • Quality and safety
    • Cost competitiveness
  • Competition has intensified at the international front
    • Deregulation - low cost producers
    • Increasing non-tariff barriers - stringent standards, labelling, sanitary and phytosanitary measures
    • Globalization - aggregation and consolidation, market saturation
    • Improved technology - transport and logistics, communication, biotechnology

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Strategic Direction and Thrust
  • Development objective (NAP3)
    • Ensure adequate and reliable supply of high quality and safe fruits to meet domestic demand for fresh as well as for the processing industries
    • Develop the fruit industry based on strategic advantage of selected fruits and capitalized the niche international markets for fresh tropical fruits and fruit products
  • Increasing efficiency and productivity
    • Ensuring consistent supply of quality produce
      • Encourage nucleus fruit estates
      • Group planting
      • Permanent food production zones
      • Adoption of Good Agricultural Practices
    • Increasing marketing efficiency
      • Promotion of direct marketing
      • Contract farming
    • Promoting private sector participation
      • Large scale fruit production and processing
      • Provide investment incentives
    • Developing and transforming small producers to large scale entrepreneurs
      • Provision of incentives, support services and facilities
    • Focus on selected fruit types
      • At the national level 13 fruits types have been identified
      • The state needs to identify priority fruits based on market demand and its competitive advantage
    • Strengthening marketing capabilities
      • Marketing research
      • Market promotion
      • Developing Malaysian brand
    • Intensified R&D
      • Pest and disease control
      • New varieties
      • Post harvest technology - reduce spoilage and extended shelf life
      • New products
    • Strengthening infrastructures
      • Farm collection centre
      • Packing house facilities
      • Trading centre and whole sale markets