KUCHING: Around 1,300 farmers in Sarawak are set to receive agricultural input assistance worth RM2.5mil, as revealed in the 2024 Budget.
Malaysian Cocoa Board director-general Datuk Dr Ramle Kasin said the initiative will kick off in January, encompassing essential agricultural inputs such as fertilizers and insecticides.
“In light of this, we encourage farmers to submit applications so that assistance can be provided to them to develop their respective farming activities.
“We believe that through this initiative, it can further enhance farmers’ productivity in the future, thereby boosting their economic income.”
Ramle also highlighted the launch of the Michael John’s Cocoa Sarawak (MJCC) machine, a groundbreaking invention set to revolutionise the industry and increase cocoa harvesting productivity.
The machine, created by Michael John, expedites the cocoa fruit splitting process, achieving remarkable progress in related work.
“This invention has successfully attracted attention for speeding up the cocoa fruit splitting process, achieving significant progress in related work,” he said at the closing ceremony of the Sarawak Super Cocoa Trainer Course Series 2 at the Harbour View Hotel here on Thursday (Dec 7).
The machine can split 60 cocoa fruits in one minute, a noteworthy feat that accelerates post-harvest processes and enhances cocoa aroma quality.
“More clearly, the implementation of cocoa fruit splitting using this machine can increase productivity from 720 pods to 3,600 pods in one day.
“It is evident that this initiative can bring significant improvement to the industry, reduce the workload of farmers, and ensure the quality of the harvest.
“By enhancing farmers’ knowledge and skills, coupled with technological advancements, it provides opportunities for those involved to increase the productivity capability of products,” he concluded.
