‘Researchers must find alternatives in mass propagating crops’
KUCHING: Research officers from the Department of Agriculture Sarawak are urged to take up the challenge of finding alternatives to mass propagate crops in order to meet the demand.
According to Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah, who is also Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development, the all important rice crop must be the focus.
“Sarawak presently has to import rice because it only produces about 53 per cent of its need. There is a need to increase our rice self- sufficiency level to that of the nation - 70 per cent.
“To achieve that, research officers must assess new highyielding rice varieties that are developed elsewhere, and introduce them to our farmers once they are proven to be adaptive to our local climate.
To achieve that, research officers must assess new highyielding rice varieties that are developed elsewhere, and introduce them to our farmers once they are proven to be adaptive to our local climate. Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah, Deputy Chief Minister
“To increase farm productivity, research officers must also look into the use of machinery and modern technologies suitable to local conditions,” he said in his text of speech read by Assistant Minister of Agriculture Dr Abdul Rahman Ismail during the launch of Research Officers’ Progress Meeting here yesterday.
Uggah said he was proud to note that research officers from the department’s Crop Research Division are the pioneers in Sarawak in using digital technologies for crop production.
“Hopefully, they ( research officers) will transfer these technologies to our agropreneurs, especially those who are ‘digital savvy’.”
Uggah also mentioned that Sarawak’s durian, pineapple, banana and coconut have great export potential, and therefore the Sarawak Agriculture Dept have to focus on their production to meet local and overseas demand.
Assistant Minister of Native Land Development Datuk Roland Sagah, permanent secretary to the Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development Datu Ik Pahon Joyik, and Department of Agriculture Sarawak acting director Dr Alvin Chai Lian Kuet were among those present at the function.