Sarawakian youths asked to take up modern agriculture
KUCHING: Sarawakian youths have been called on to take advantage of the state’s vast lands to run modern agriculture or aquaculture projects.
Minister of Human Resources Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem said such ventures would enable the country to reduce its dependency on food imports in the long run.
“Malaysia spends about RM12 billion on imported food products each year.
“Why are we still importing food when Malaysia, particularly Sarawak, has vast and fertile land to plant our own food?” he asked during the first graduation of Core Human Resources Development Sdn Bhd trainees.
He pointed out that there are many government agencies available to provide assistance to those wishing to explore the industry.
Riot said the state should also look to export food products to heavily populated countries such as China or India.
“By tapping into just a fraction of the 1.6 billion population in China, that is in fact a very big market,” he said, adding that durians are highly sought after there.
“By planting durian trees on a large scale now, I can foresee that in the next 15 years, someone will become a millionaire from farming and exporting durians to China.”
Meanwhile, he called on the 73 graduates to look towards running their own agriculture and aquaculture businesses.
“By attending the nine-month course, which also includes a two-month practical stint, I hope all of you will be able to bring in the elements of modernisation to the agriculture and aquaculture industry,” he said.
Among those present were Core Human Resources Development Sdn Bhd chairman Robert Malong, Human Resources Development Fund chief executive officer Datuk CM Vignaesvaran Jeyandran and Riot’s political secretary Major (R) Datuk Peter Runin.
Malaysia spends about RM12 billion on imported food products each year. Why are we still importing food when Malaysia, particularly Sarawak, has vast and fertile land to plant our own food? — Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem, Minister of Human Resources