Tenom: Sabah’s interior regions continue to cement their position as key contributors to the nation’s agro-commodity sector, emerging as the country’s most significant cocoa producer.
Deputy Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Chan Foong Hin said Sabah currently cultivates 360 hectares of cocoa involving over 550 farmers, with production from January to August 2025 accounting for 73 per cent of the nation’s total cocoa output.
More impressively, the Tenom Zone alone recorded 47 per cent of Sabah’s entire production, establishing the district as the country’s primary cocoa hub.
“These statistics are truly remarkable. Tenom plays a crucial role as nearly half of Sabah’s cocoa comes from this zone,” he told reporters after officiating the Post-Harvest and Dry Cocoa Bean Grading Course for Kemabong Zone.
Chan also disclosed that the government’s Cocoa Farm Rehabilitation Programme 2024-2026 has benefited over 2,000 Sabah farmers with an allocation of RM5 million, including 118 farmers in Kemabong Zone.
The programme provides agricultural input assistance, rehabilitation of aging farms and technical training to ensure cocoa production meets international market standards.
He is optimistic that through sustained efforts, Sabah can not only increase cocoa production but also potentially lead the premium cocoa market internationally, particularly in the bean-to-bar segment.
“Cocoa from Tenom and Kemabong is renowned for its distinctive aroma and flavour. With proper branding strategies, it could become a high-value export product,” he said.
Chan also urged more rural youths to participate in the cocoa industry, which now offers broader opportunities beyond cultivation, including processing and downstream products such as locally-made chocolate.
