RM510,000 to turn Bekenu into major buffalo breeding, production area — Uggah

MIRI: A sum of RM510,000 has been approved by the Sarawak government for the upgrading of infrastructure to turn Bekenu into a major breeding and production area for buffaloes in Sarawak.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said the infrastructures would include fencing the area and development of the grazing ground.

“I have informed the Veterinary Services Department to come back to me in one month, to estimate the fencing area and the development of the grazing ground and whatever (else) is required to be done, so that we can budget and plan.

“We hope in one or two years, it could become a proper buffalobreeding area, with the hope that artificial insemination, a modern way of breeding animals, would become a reality here as we are now moving into a modern system,” Uggah told reporters when met after visiting Kampung Kayu Kapur in Bekenu recently.

According to Uggah, who is also Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development, Kampung Kayu Kapur has over 700 acres of land, which have been designated for buffalo-breeding.

“Unfortunately, we saw that the infrastructure is not properly maintained, both the grazing ground and fence. So, we are coming up to support the infrastructure. We do not want the buffaloes to run into the jungle, but we want them to be maintained within the fence,” he explained.

Uggah further revealed that in 2000, Sarawak had about 11,000 buffaloes.

“But now, we only have about 6,000 and the number has dwindled. We noticed there is a need to upgrade the management. We want to get our buffaloes

I have informed the Veterinary Services Department to come back to me in one month, to estimate the fencing area and the development of the grazing ground and whatever (else) is required to be done, so that we can budget and plan. Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas

domesticated and organised properly as we can see that it (the industry) has the potential to grow and then the breeding will be better and have bigger size. The bigger the buffaloes, the more the returns,” he pointed out.

Uggah added his ministry had been given some allocations from the Sarawak government to plan and organise more programmes relating to agriculture and food industries including buffalobreeding and planting of vegetables and fruit trees, in line with Sarawak’s vision of becoming net exporter of food products by 2030.

“We will be holding many agriculture-related programmes this year and next year, with the aim of assisting the rural communities increase their incomes. The state government is committed in its endeavour to help raise the standard of living among people in the rural areas,” he added.

During the visit, Uggah presented RM5,000 to Kampung Kayu Kapur village security and development committee (JKKK) for its activities.