GRADUATE BANKING ON SWEET SMELL FOR SUCCESS

	KOTA KINABALU: Fitri Kuntihing is literally banking on the sweet smell of success. For the 28-year-old human resources graduate, the sweet smell is that of the bean of the vanilla plant, one of the latest crops being introduced in Sabah by the state Agriculture and Food Industry Ministry. "I'm convinced that cultivating vanilla will be a profitable venture," said the daughter of padi farmers from Kampung Subilingon in the northern Kota Marudu district. Having been selected as one of the 200 pioneer vanilla farmers by the state-owned Rural Devolepment Corporation(KPD) Fitri said she intends to cultivate the plants on a4.4ha piece of land in her village. State Agriculture Minister Datuk Rahim Ismail said the pioneer vanilla farmers stand to earn between RM3,000 and RM5,000 per every 0.4ha of the crop after three years of cultivation. He said that the ministry, through the corporation, had decided on trial cultivations of vanilla as part of efforts in diversifying food crops while tackling poverty in rural areas. "Rural folk can cultivate vanilla on contract farming basis KPD will supply the young plants and expertise and later buy the beans from them,"Rahim said after visiting the corporation's Borneo Vanilla nursery in Lumadan, 60km from here,on Saturday. He said the rural folk could cultivate vanilla on a small scale such as in their backyards of orchards. Vanilla is widely used in confectionary, food and beverages and even in the manufacture.