PORT DICKSON: Durians rank at the top while banana farming is number two, said Federal Agriculture Marketing Authority (Fama) fresh marketing services division senior director, Mohd Anis Mohd Yasin, today at the inauguration of a Fama banana and papaya cultivation and marketing upskilling course.
In his speech to 250 participants gathered at Institut Latihan Fama he said that in 2017, the total area cultivated with bananas in Malaysia was 34,894.06ha with 350,492.59 metric tonnes of fruit produced.
“With regards to export value, in 2016 it totalled RM34 million for 25,101.46 metric tonnes of bananas, while in 2017 it rose to RM40 million for 27,450 metric tonnes of fruit.
“For papaya, the export value in 2016 was RM38 million and fruit amounted to 24,470.7 metric tonnes with an increase to RM40 million for 25,457 metric tonnes of fruit in 2017,“ he said.
Fama is therefore committed to ensuring every farm product is well marketed and gives good returns, he said.
“Aside from this, Fama continues to work on strengthening collection and distribution centres for farm products. Presently, there are 187 collection centres and 40 distribution centres across the country,“ he added. — Bernama
