Malaysia Targets RM2 Bln Pineapple Exports By 2027

KUALA KUBU BAHRU, Jan 14 (Bernama) -- The government aims to increase pineapple exports to RM2 billion by 2027 as part of efforts to strengthen and develop the industry, which is now considered a high-value strategic commodity.

Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Chan Foong Hin said the pineapple industry has the potential to generate around RM9,000 a month in income per hectare for growers through modern farm management.

He said that the country’s pineapple exports reached RM1.4 billion in 2025, amounting to 76,000 tonnes to international markets, including the Middle East, China, and Europe, and that this is expected to continue growing through the exploration of new markets such as New Zealand.

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“Today’s visit to the MD2 pineapple plantation project in Sungai Gumut is part of the government’s efforts to strengthen the development of the pineapple industry. We aim for this export value to continue rising and reach RM2 billion by 2027,” he told reporters after a working visit to the Sungai Gumut Pineapple Collection Centre here today.

The project under Premium Pineapple Sdn Bhd covers 109.26 hectares, with current plantings on 16 hectares comprising 740,432 MD2 pineapple plants and a crop survival rate of over 97 per cent.

Chan said the visit also included a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a collection, processing and packaging centre (CPPC), which is expected to strengthen the pineapple industry’s value chain from the farm to the market.

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Meanwhile, the deputy minister said Selangor has great potential to develop into a modern agri-food hub, thanks to logistical advantages such as an airport, a port, rail networks, and continued support from both the federal and state governments.

“We do not only want people to buy pineapples to eat, but we want this area to become a focus for processing, packing, branding and exporting, including the development of high-tech processing plants and agrotourism potential,” he said.

To support the project’s development, Chan said the Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board (LPNM) has provided assistance, including seedlings and agricultural inputs worth RM221,800, a RM30,000 grant for building a farm store, and technical guidance, in addition to planning community and youth programmes such as the Inisiatif Pendapatan Rakyat (IPR) and Agropreneur Muda.

He said that in 2026, LPNM is planning a development project in Selangor that will add 49 hectares and provide incentives worth RM1.3 million, benefiting around 26 operators, while last year, RM180,000 was disbursed to young farmers in the state through the Agropreneur Muda Grant, now rebranded as Agropreneur NextGen.

He added that the Selangor government has disbursed RM113,300 to pineapple entrepreneurs, and in Hulu Selangor alone, agricultural input aid worth more than RM1.2 million has benefited 38 operators.

“The Federal and the Selangor Governments will continue to strengthen strategic cooperation with LPNM and the private sector to develop the pineapple industry sustainably and to reinforce the nation’s food security,” he said.

-- BERNAMA