As such, he said, the crop had good potential to be reintroduced as a smallholder crop in certain districts which had been proven to be suitable, such as Tenom, Ranau, Kota Marudu and Beluran.

Ongkili told Bernama that scientific research had been conducted to improve crop productivity and returns from cocoa growing, particularly since the setting up of the Malaysian Cocoa Board (MCB) in 1989.

"The cocoa industry has had its ups and downs but this is normal for most industrial crops," he said.

With new production technology available, cocoa producers and product manufacturers could compete well with other producers in the world, he said.

Ongkili, who had a briefing-cum-discussion with MCB Director-General Datuk Dr Azhar Ismail on Thursday, said he was told that the MCB was already doing extension work in collaboration with the Agriculture Department in Tenom, Ranau, Kota Marudu and Beluran.

"But a lot more needs to be done to increase farmer interest and participation in an effort to re-introduce the crop to farmers and gain their confidence in the profitability and sustainability of the cocoa industry," he said.

Ongkili, who is Parti Bersatu Sabah deputy president and Bandau MP, also said that producers needed "to re-visit the crop as a diversification strategy especially at the plantation level".

The stigma of uncertainty caused by cocoa pod borers in the 1990s needed to be erased, he said.