Uggah: RFPCC set to help rural farmers market their produce
LIMBANG: Several locations in the state have been identified for the establishment of Rural Farmers Products Collection Centre ( RFPCC), including Limbang, to cater to the market in neighbouring Brunei.
Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture and Rural Economy Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said the other designated collection centres would be in Tebedu, Betong, Tanjung Datu and Sri Aman.
These centres are the government’s answer to difficulties faced by rural farmers in marketing their products, in line with the rural economic transformation programme undertaken by the state government.
“There is a necessity for a collection centre to be established in Limbang in view of the Brunei market which is just next door,” he said at a press conference after a working visit to Kubong Agriculture Station here on Saturday.
Accompanying him were Assistant Minister for Welfare and Community Wellbeing Dr Abdul Rahman Ismail, Assistant Minister for Rural Economy (Coastal Areas) and Fish erie sD atuk Jul ai hi Narawi, Limbang MP Hasbi Habibolah, Batu Danau assemblyman Paulus Palu Gumbang, Deputy Limbang Resident ( Development) Selamat Jati Yanjah, Limbang District Council chairman Sufian Mohat and Limbang Agriculture officer Rosah Mohidi.
Under the RFPCC concept, the Agriculture Department and Federal Agriculture and Marketing Authority ( Fama) will assist in the collection of products for marketing.
Uggah said Sarawak had the potential of producing bananas for export to China and rambutans had been exported to this huge market through Sri Aman centre since November last year.
“RFPCC not only caters for collection but also processing, storage and other areas,” he said.
On Limbang, Uggah said it had a huge potential to become a buffalo meat production hub due to the high domestic demand from Brunei, besides catering for local needs.
He said based on statistics, Limbang had a population of 11,000 buffaloes in 2000 – making it the traditional buffalo production centre in the state.
There were about 5,500 buffaloes in Limbang last year.