Govt to ensure adequate coconut supply

BATU PAHAT:The Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry is committed to ensuring adequate supply of coconut in the country and that the imported ones are safe from diseases and pests.

Deputy Minister I Datuk Seri Ahmad Hamzah said in the peninsula, only 38 companies were allowed to import coconut.

He said the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services (MAQIS) had been asked to carry out proactive steps at the two main entry points at Batu Pahat Port in Johor and Port Klang in Selangor.

"For the entry point in Batu Pahat, the number of coconuts exceeds half of the total (imports) with around 200,000 kg or about 140,000 coconuts per ship.

"It is estimated that every day, 18 ships will arrive from Indonesia, and we will check the quality, including diseases and pests," he told a press conference after visiting MAQIS at Right Base jetty at Batu Pahat Port here today.

According to MAQIS statistics, 230 million kg of coconuts were brought in and eight million kg of coconut meat were imported through Batu Pahat last year. This year (until Nov 2020), 262 million kg of coconuts and 7.7 million kg of coconut meat were imported, he said.

-- BERNAMA