Page 217 - Westport Guide To Malaysia

THE GUIDE TO MALAYSIA 209
Malaysian Pepper Board senior officers visit a pepper farm in Betong, Sarawak. The information they gather will be used to help farmers improve the quality and increase the yield of their pepper plants.
Freshly harvested green pepper berries.
Black pepper berries ready for packing or processing.
bulk packs. Retail packs
of pepper and pepper products for both domestic and overseas markets
come in various forms and brands including MPB’s own quality-certified “Saraspice” range, which also includes novelty premium products.
the state is dedicated to pepper cultivation. In 2018, Malaysia produced 31,073 tonnes of pepper and ranked as the 5th biggest pepper producer in the world. 11,714 tonnes of this pepper were exported.
The pepper fruit is a berry, pale green and soft in the early stage, but
it turns dark green and
hard as it matures. Each berry contains a single seed enclosed by a pulpy mesocarp. The commercial black peppercorn is the entire dried berry whereas the white peppercorn is just the seed.
Pepper is one of the most important cash crops in Sarawak, supporting the livelihood of about 34,601 smallholders. The Malaysian Pepper Board (MPB) assists farmers by providing technical and advisory consultancy while helping to promote the commodity around the world.
Research and Development efforts are constantly undertaken to improve the productivity and quality of the crop, through better agronomic practices. To further promote the industry,
MPB is constantly seeking innovative uses of pepper in culinary and non-culinary sectors. Currently, pepper is still widely exported as black and white pepper (berries and powder) in
MPB’s range of pepper products, marketed under the SARASPICE brand name.