Sarah showing premium MD2 pineapples that she planted. - Photo by NSTP/Mohd Roji Kawi
Miri (July 31): Before migrating to the city of Miri from her hometown in Long Teran, Sungai Tinjar in Baram, Sarah Anyie never thought of making pineapples her source of income.
At that time, she was a full-time housewife and left her village in 1992 to follow her husband to Miri for his work.
The 55-year-old Kayan pineapple entrepreneur said that after moving to the city, she became bored just staying at home, so she took up day-wage work clearing grass at her aunt and sister-in-law’s pineapple farm on the banks of the Miri River.
“At that time, I had zero knowledge about pineapple cultivation. I only knew how to pull weeds between the pineapple plants.
“After quite a while working for them, I became more interested in pineapple cultivation, and I felt motivated to start my own farm. This dream came true in 1999 when I began exploring land upstream of the Miri River,” she said.
She mentioned that with a bit of knowledge, she dared to open a farm of about 1.5 hectares.
“At that time, there were indeed many challenges because I had no knowledge of pineapple care, and when I had a small yield, I also faced difficulties selling pineapples at Tamu Muhibah in Miri.
“I almost gave up and thought of quitting,” she said.
However, Sarah’s hope was revived after meeting with officers from the Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board (LPNM) in 2015.
“After listening to their explanations and learning about proper planting and care techniques, I regained my enthusiasm to seriously cultivate pineapples in the Sungai Adong area.
“LPNM encouraged us by providing courses and giving subsidies for seeds and fertilizers,” she said.
Sarah said that with the continuous courses she has attended since 2015, her skills in caring for the crops have improved compared to when she worked on her sister-in-law and aunt’s farm.
Regarding sales, Sarah said that when they first started cultivating the farm in 2015, their sales at Tamu Muhibah, Miri were quite slow, with an average of 50 to 100 pineapples sold daily.
“Then we moved to Tamu Malah Dau (which means Day Market in the Kayan language) along the main road towards Brunei, and there our sales started to increase to 300 daily.
“We sell various pineapple varieties priced between RM2 and RM10 each, and Tamu Malah Dau is open six days a week, except Sunday, with customers including not only locals but also Bruneians passing through,” she said.
She added that they make a net profit as they do not use middlemen to sell their produce.
“We plant, harvest, transport, and sell ourselves. The results have significantly improved our lives.
“I greatly appreciate the help from LPNM, from teaching us the correct planting techniques to providing subsidies for seeds and fertilizers,” she said.
With LPNM’s assistance, she is now exploring another new planting area in Pujut Padang Kerbau, Miri, to expand her pineapple farm.
According to LPNM’s Miri records, the Sungai Adong pineapple planting scheme comprises seven groups, each with between 20 to 69 entrepreneurs.
Starting in 2015, the Sungai Adong scheme has grown, and LPNM is now implementing high-impact projects by encouraging entrepreneurs to plant premium pineapples, specifically the MD2 variety.
LPNM is also fully responsible for monitoring program participants to further enhance the pineapple industry in Sarawak.
