Annual report on Sarawak.

Date:
[1950]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on Sarawak. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    69/230 (page 39)
    Pepper. This was an important export product before the war and the quality was generally good, but most of the gardens were abandoned dining the Japanese occupation. 'Considerable replanting lias taken place recently and there is little doubt that the number of tended vines is now equal to the pre-war total. A recent estimate suggests that nearly 900,000 vines are now being cultivated and that the number is still increas¬ ing no doubt due to the excellent prices being obtained for the product and the good market prospects. Small quantities of pepper were exported in 1950 and it is expected that in 1951 exports will be 'back to pre-war level. All the vines are planted in small gardens, mostly less than half an acre in extent and often very much smaller. Unfortunately most of the pepper in Sarawak is still cultivated under a most per¬ nicious system of shifting cultivation but it is hoped that it will be possible to minimise the worst effects with powers available under the Natural Resources Ordinance 1950. Coconuts are mainly a smallholder’s crop, largely confined to the First Division. The total acreage occupied by the crop is estimated at 21,000 acres, though many of the palms are known to be old and in very poor condition. Some copra and coconut oil are exported. Tuba Root (derris) has been cultivated in the past, but production and export are now negligible. Planting is being encouraged as there is a good export demand, but there is still a shortage of suitable planting material. Gambier was an important product many years ago, but production is now negligible. Pineapples of high quality and exceptional flavour are produced in small quantities on drained peat soils. Tobacco. Small areas are planted by the natives for their own use. The quality of the product can probably be improved. Coffee is cultivated to a small extent round the villages. Cocoa is not yet cultivated by farmers in Sarawak but some observation plots recently established by the Department of Agriculture show some promise particularly on the bettei types of land. About 500 seedlings raised in quarantine m \u