A press release from the ministry of agriculture stated that the Malaysian government has commenced a programme to find alternative crops for tobacco growers in an effort to reduce and terminate the production of leaf tobacco in the country

One such crop is Roselle, a species of hibiscus originated in Africa, which is rich in vitamin C and citric acid. At a press conference the agriculture minister Dr Amar Sulaiman said that “the government cannot ask farmers to stop tobacco planting immediately without offering them an alternative crop. It has to be done gradually.”
“The ministry has not decided when tobacco planting will be abolished, but this does not mean that the government is not serious in its efforts to eliminate tobacco planting,“ the minister said
Roselle was first introduced in Malaysia in a new project in the Rhu Tapai agricultural centre, and grows well in the sandy tropical soil used for growing tobacco. The fruit, rich in vitamin C and critic acid, can also be used to make drinks, sweets and cordials.