KOTA BELUD: The tantalising aroma of chocolate wafted from the plate of kuih penyaram, a traditional Sabah delicacy.
"This is kuih penyaram. I made it using rice flour and cocoa powder," the maker, Magret Darusin, told Bernama.
A Bajau speciality, kuih penyaram – which is shaped like a small flying saucer – is usually made from a mixture of rice flour, wheat flour, coconut milk and sugar.
"The rice flour I use is from the red keladi padi that I cultivate… the cocoa powder is processed from the cocoa beans from my smallholding," added the 55-year-old woman of Dusun ethnicity, who cultivates cocoa and organic keladi padi in Kampung Tambatuon, a picturesque village here located about 70 kilometres from Kota Kinabalu, and set against lush greenery and the Kadamaian River that flows from Mount Kinabalu.
REVIVING ABANDONED SMALLHOLDINGS
Magret said she started producing her own cocoa powder and rice flour after embarking on cultivating both crops in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
She said in 2018, she became involved in efforts to revive the long-abandoned cocoa smallholdings in her village under the guidance of the Sabah Social Entrepreneurs Association (Sosea).
This Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), which focuses on empowering communities through strategic partnerships, took the necessary steps to rekindle Kampung Tambatuon cocoa farmers' interest in cocoa planting by highlighting its potential to boost their incomes if managed diligently.
According to Magret, cocoa cultivation in her village, which is also a well-known tourist destination, began in 2012 but was halted when the commodity's market price became unfavourable.
Sosea succeeded in convincing Magret and 17 other farmers in the village to revive their cocoa smallholdings.
Today, Magret oversees the Kampung Tambatuon Cocoa Cluster's cocoa processing centre, a project under the 12th Malaysia Plan established by the Malaysian Cocoa Board (LKM). She and her fellow farmers are also relieved over the surge in cocoa prices in the market.
INCOME BOOST
At a cocoa seminar in Kota Kinabalu in February, Deputy Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Chan Foong Hin said the price of cocoa beans in Malaysia could reach RM17 per kilogramme – more than double the price of around RM8 in 2022.
According to the current prices displayed on LKM's website, the average price of dry cocoa beans ranged from RM21,100 to RM21,900 per metric tonne yesterday (Oct 18), with the quality and grade of the beans determined by Standards Malaysia.
For Magret, the rise in cocoa prices has not only motivated her to improve productivity and bean quality but also strengthened her resolve to continue operating her smallholding efficiently alongside other local farmers.
She also took proactive steps to diversify her cocoa-based products by producing cocoa powder, chocolate bars and cocoa flakes with the help of villagers, particularly homemakers, allowing them to generate an income and support their families.
Magret added her cocoa products are sold to individuals and a local chocolate manufacturer.
"For cocoa flakes, I sometimes receive orders of up to 30 kilogrammes a month, but at other times, orders come in once every three months," she said, adding her monthly income from the sales of cocoa flakes is about RM6,000.
PROSPECTS
Noting the bright prospects for the cocoa industry, Magret plans to expand her smallholding from the current 300 trees to 2,000 trees, covering two hectares of land.
Her smallholding currently produces 100 kg of cocoa pods during each harvest in May and December.
"My aim is to turn this village into a chocolate producer with its own brand. If we can produce our own chocolate brand, it could serve as a souvenir product since we have tourists visiting our village. We are already working with Bank Islam to develop a mini-factory that will be ready soon," she said.
"We also plan to open another mini-factory to process red rice, allowing us to diversify the range of food products we produce."
Magret, who has a licence to process wet cocoa beans from LKM, expressed her gratitude to the agency for providing guidance such as teaching them the proper methods of cocoa tree pruning, fruit cutting and fertilising, which have helped her and other farmers improve the quality of their cocoa beans.
Sosea advisor Ida Faranina Othman, meanwhile, said the association plays a key role in assisting social entrepreneurs in the cocoa industry and securing corporate funding to carry out fieldwork related to cocoa cultivation.
She said as of now, two of Sosea's members – Borneo Cocoa and Koko Loko – are actively involved in running cocoa industry-based social enterprises.
Borneo Cocoa focuses on empowering cocoa farmers through various initiatives and programmes to help them revive long-abandoned cocoa farms while Koko Loko focuses more on producing cocoa-based downstream products.
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
Ida Faranina, who founded Borneo Cocoa, said among the organisations supporting the association's mission is Yayasan Hasanah, an independent grant-making foundation, though more funding is needed to enable Sosea to assist more cocoa farmers in reviving their cultivations and increasing their income.
"After being involved in this industry for four years, we've seen a rise in incomes. Take Magret Darusin, for example. She was previously a rice farmer, but now with the revival of cocoa planting, her income has increased," she added.
Besides Kampung Tambatuon, Sosea is also spearheading efforts to restore cocoa smallholdings in Kampung Bundu Paka in Kota Belud and Kampung Bongol in Tamparuli, near here.
"Currently, we are focusing more on eco-friendly farming practices to increase the value of smallholder cocoa beans because today's consumers prioritise health and eco-friendly products. This is our goal as a social enterprise," she explained.
Sosea also encourages smallholders to produce their own organic fertiliser with guidance from soil experts.
Drone technology is also being utilised to map cocoa smallholding areas, count the number of trees and estimate the quantity of cocoa beans that can be produced.
"We've noticed that many cocoa farmers are getting older and their children are less likely to take over their smallholdings. Maybe with the introduction of technology, they will start showing interest in this commodity," said Ida Faranina.
Currently, Sosea is working with 30 cocoa smallholders in Sabah and aims to empower at least 100 farmers in the next five years.
Ida Faranina said they also hope to raise public awareness about the ability of smallholders to produce high-quality cocoa beans as many of the expensive imported cocoa products are actually made from cocoa beans grown in Malaysia.
"If we can support local farmers in reviving their cocoa smallholdings and buy products directly from them, we might be able to restore the reputation of Sabah and Malaysia's cocoa," she said.
Malaysia's cocoa industry is performing well, and so far this year, its export revenue reached RM4.8 billion as of May. That amount represents 58 per cent of the RM8.2 billion in export revenue recorded for the entire year of 2023, underscoring the industry's importance in driving the nation's economy.
The cocoa sector in Sabah's rural areas accounts for 37.5 per cent of the country's total cocoa output.
The Plantation and Commodities Ministry remains committed to supporting LKM's initiatives to ensure a competitive and productive cocoa industry, in line with the goals outlined in the National Agricommodity Policy 2021-2030. – BERNAMA