The International Pineapple Industry Seminar (SINAR 25) took place in Johor Bahru, Malaysia from 27 – 29 June 2025 in conjunction with Malaysia’s Pineapple Day celebrations. Jointly organized by the Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board and University Putra Malaysia Alumni, the event was inaugurated by the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup.
With over 500 participants, including producers, traders, exporters, academics, researchers, students and government agencies, the seminar was successful in facilitating knowledge sharing on pineapple industry advancements. A total of 13 local and international presentations covered key topics such as best practices, smart technologies, pest and disease management and processing innovations. The seminar aptly concluded with a panel discussion on ‘The Pineapple Industry in the International Market’ which featured insights from five industry experts.
Leveraging TFNet’s extensive, network contacts, its role in assisting the organizers was to facilitate the participation of international speakers from the ASEAN region. TFNet coordinated and arranged for speakers from Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam, who were:
- Dr. Hieu Nguyen Thanh, Deputy Director, Southern Horticultural Research Institute, Vietnam who presented on ‘Best practices and recent technologies in pineapple production in Vietnam’.
- Dr. Sobir, from the Center for Tropical Horticultural Studies, Bogor Agricultural University, Indonesia who presented on ‘Best production practices and waste management of pineapple cultivation in Indonesia’.
- Dr. Arlene Alegre, Director, Queen Pineapple Research and Development Institute, Camarines Norte State College, Camarines, Philippines who presented on ‘Recent technologies in pineapple production in Camarines Norte, Philippines.
Overall, the international presenters sparked significant interest among attendees, particularly on sustainable and best practices and waste management solutions adopted across different countries.
Besides presentations, mini booths set up by government agencies and the private sector provided useful information highlighting the various efforts by industry players in boosting Malaysia’s growing potential as one of the leading pineapple producer and exporter in the region.