KUCHING: The Sarawak government, through the Sarawak Department of Agriculture, continues to enforce the ban on the export and cultivation of guarana under the Plant Quarantine Regulations 1981 (Regulation 7).

Sarawak Deputy Minister for Food Industry, Commodity, and Regional Development, Datuk Martin Ben, stated that this herbal plant, which is misused in beverages and marketed as coffee by some communities, originates from countries endemic to South American Leaf Blight (SALB) such as Venezuela and northern Brazil. This disease has caused devastation to rubber plantations in several countries.

He explained that the ban is aimed at protecting Malaysia’s rubber industry, which is valued at over RM18.0 billion annually.

"Companies involved in importing guarana into Malaysia have yet to confirm their compliance with the restrictions outlined under Law No. 13, 123/15, 20 May 2015 (Access and Benefits Sharing of Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge (ABS)).

"Any prohibited plants, plant products, and controlled articles may be seized, detained, or destroyed.

"Individuals found bringing in these prohibited commodities could face fines of up to RM10,000 or imprisonment of up to two years, or both, under Section 19A of Act 167," he said.

He was responding to a question from Batu Danau Assemblyman, Dato Paulus Palu Gumbang during the 19th Sarawak Legislative Assembly Sitting on Wednesday.

Earlier, Dato Paulus had asked whether the ban on guarana coffee cultivation was still in place and what actions the government was taking against those continuing to promote the cultivation of the plant.

Datuk Martin further explained that guarana cultivation also poses the risk of introducing new diseases such as Colletotrichum guaranicola, which not only affects guarana species but also fruit and vegetable crops like papaya, banana, mango, and chili.

"Currently, information on Colletotrichum guaranicola is limited, making it difficult to control if an outbreak were to occur in Malaysia," added the Kedup Assemblyman.

Guarana, scientifically known as Paullinia Cupana, is from the Sapindaceae family and contains caffeine, while coffee plants belong to the Rubiaceae family.

There is a common misconception among the public that guarana is a type of coffee from the same family, but they are clearly two distinct plants.

Under the Plant Quarantine Act 1976 (Act 167) and Plant Quarantine Regulations 1981, the importation of certain plants, plant products, and controlled articles into Sarawak is prohibited except for research purposes.

This ban includes soil, plants from the Hevea family, plants from the American tropics or any country affected by SALB, plants from African cocoa regions, and pests and plant diseases as listed in Schedule 4 of the Plant Quarantine Regulations 1981, as well as scheduled plants listed in Schedule 3 of the same regulations.-UKASnews