Nation’s Second Largest Fruit Park To Be In ECER

KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 (Bernama) — Pahang will have the countrys second
largest fruit park, after Selangor, with Lanchang Permanent Food Production Park
planned under the East Coast Economic Region (ECER), expected to yield some
1,501 tonnes of fruit annually.
According to the state agriculture department, the Lanchang project will reap the
state government an annual income of RM1.55 billion, once it is fully operational
within a period of two decades.
The Permanent Food Production Park (PFPP) is one of the ECERs high-impact
projects to establish and develop the countrys fruit-based food industry.
Department deputy director Kamariah Ismail said the programme was aimed at
promoting large-scale commercial agriculture projects involving smallholders, as well
as private sectors.
“The Lancang scheme involves Malaysian Agrifood Corporation (MAFC) Berhad as
the anchor company and will engage smallholders under the contract farming
scheme,” she said in a statement today.
She said two other companies, Felda Herba Corporation and Gold Star Sdn Bhd,
were also keen to participate in the project.
“At present, a total of seven smallholders are based in the Lanchang PFPP on 58.72
hectares. The area has been planted with 22 hectares of papaya by MAFC, and
12.57 hectares of banana and 23.7 hectares of jack fruit by smallholders,” she
added.
Under the Lanchang PFPP, the Pahang Department of Agriculture has allocated
3,600 hectares of land for the development of commercial fruit orchards.
Of the 3,600 hectares, 3,200 hectares have been allocated to the private sector,
while the remainder has been designated for PFPP programmes.
The ECER master plan proposed that 2,000 hectares be allocated for papaya
plantations, 1,000 hectares for dragon fruit and the remaining 600 hectares for guava
and star fruit.Under the PFPP programme, the state government will lease land to each
smallholder or private company at the rate of RM100 per year for every 0.4 ha plot of
land for a period of 30 years.
The Lanchang PFPP is expected to draw the participation of 43 smallholders. Each
will be given eight hectares of land, reaping them an income of up to RM3,000 per
month.
“Phase 1 of the TKPM project covers 80 ha of land and has been completed with the
development of basic facilities such as roads, irrigation system and water pumps and
drainage.
“Work on Phase 2 has started on 160 ha of land and it is expected to complete by
mid-next year,” said Kamariah.
The Lanchang project, which started in 2006, is one of 11 similar PFPP programmes
for execution in Pahang. The total PFPP projects in the state involve 1,281.5 ha of
land.
According to the department, currently, the implementation of the programme
involves 107 participants on 821.7 ha of land and has successfully produced 819.8
metric tonnes of fruits valued at over RM1.8 million.
–BERNAMA