MD2 Pineapples To Penetrate Overseas Market - MPIB

BUKIT MERTAJAM (Penang, Malaysia), March 8 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board (MPIB) aims to export the MD2 pineapple variety in the next two years. MPIB Director-General, Sahdan Salim, said the demand for MD2 pineapples was high and local fruit farmers were not able to fulfil it. He said MPIB's target was was to reach more than 2,000 hectares (ha) of fruit crop in 2020 to meet local demand before the fruit could be exported. "China has signed an agreement with Malaysia to import MD2 pineapples up to 100 containers per month but we have not met their demand. "I hope that in two years' time, we can export the fruit to West Asian countries, Japan, South Korea and China," he said during his visit to a MD2 pineapple plantation here Tuesday. Sahdan said pineapple cultivation in the country faced shortage of land and insufficient seeds. "The issue now is that we don't have enough MD2 pineapple seeds. The seed prices are quite high with US$0.36 (RM1.50) per tree compared to 30 sen per tree for regular pineapple," he said, adding that farming enthusiasts should start planting the MD2 pineapple on a small scale. Meanwhile, local MD2 pineapple plantation farm owner, Muhamad Zahiri Zainuddin, said he planned to expand his fruit cultivation land from four ha to 20 ha in the next three years. "I began planting the fruit in April last year and the demand for the MD2 pineapple variety has been very encouraging. "The MD2 pineapple, which is sold at about US$1.45 (RM6) here, is sweet, fragrant and does not irritate the tongue," he said. --BERNAMA