PAPAR: Sabah will strategise the way forward to develop and expand the vanilla industry in the state, its deputy chief minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said.
Jeffrey, who is also Sabah Agriculture and Food Industry Minister, said the plant was a highly profitable cash crop, even if planted on a very small plot of land.
On top of that, Jeffrey said there was a ready market for the product which is consistently high in demand and used in a variety of industries such as food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical.
"One kilogramme of the gross product is worth between RM1200 and RM2,500, while a litre of the extracted oil can be worth up to RM80,000. So, it is a highly lucrative business.
"It does not need a huge area to cultivate, so each family can try their hand at this industry," he said in a statement.
He pointed out an acre of land (0.4ha) could house 1,000 vanilla trees, each of which yields 500g of green beans per year on average.
A middle-aged plantation can yield range approximately 500kg of green beans per acre under reasonable management.
The ministry, through the Rural Development Cooperative (RDC) operates a vanilla nursery in Beaufort, which has been running since 2007 when the vanilla programme was first introduced to interested farmers in Sabah.
One farmer who benefitted from the programme was Leo Komuji, whose My Kebun Vanilla in Kinarut here has earned him nearly half a million ringgit since he began more than 10 years ago.
Leo was introduced to vanilla through the RDC programme, but he continued to invest and learn more about the industry by using the internet and finding advice from experts.
Jeffrey said Leo's valuable experience and expertise in the industry could help other farmers interested in the cash crop start their farms.
"As the agriculture and fisheries minister, I would like to see the vanilla industry in Sabah develop into a new and exciting industry that we can promote globally."