Negeri Sembilan’s new youth pineapple cultivation project, with RM270,000 investment, aims to increase young farmers’ participation in the agricultural sector.
SEREMBAN: The Negeri Sembilan state government will launch a pineapple cultivation project for youth in the first quarter of this year.
State Agriculture, Food Security and Cost of Living Committee chairman Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias said the initiative aims to boost young people’s participation in the agricultural sector.
He said the state has identified 12 groups aged 45 and below to participate directly in the pineapple planting industry.
The first phase will involve distributing 17,000 MD2 pineapple seeds to selected participants at a total cost exceeding RM270,000.
“Participants will be selected in the first quarter of this year, involving representations from every state constituency,” Jalaluddin said after officiating a plantation technology programme at Klana Resort Seremban.
He said officers from the Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board (LPNM) are providing full support in plantation management and best agricultural practices.
This support aims to ensure higher quality and competitiveness of the produce.
Jalaluddin added that the first phase will serve as a benchmark before the programme is extended to more youth.
The state government also plans to establish a pineapple production hub in Juasih, Kuala Pilah, which has the largest pineapple output in the state.
Rembau and Jelebu are the other major pineapple-producing areas in Negeri Sembilan.
LPNM chairman Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali, who was also present, said pineapple cultivation in the state saw a 165.87% increase in planting area over the past five years.
The total area now stands at 220.43 hectares involving 278 registered entrepreneurs.
“This shows that pineapple is not just a commodity crop but a growing economic resource,” he said.
Sheikh Umar noted the crop is increasingly gaining popularity among the people of the state.
