• Collaboration with Felca to develop Food Zones
Apart from that, the state government is exploring the opportunity to cooperate with Felcra to develop more food zones in Sarawak in order to reduce the country’s high food import bill.
Uggah observed that Sarawak had a sizeable landbank for food zones including more than 1 million ha of native customary rights (NCR) land available for plantation and food sector.
“We welcome Felcra. We will sit down to plan what we are going to do. In some areas between Song and Kapit there are many NCR land not yet developed for plantation.
“This is an opportunity which can be studied by Felcra,” he reportedly said.
Uggah was responding to a suggestion made by Bung Moktar to the state government during a function to gazette more land to Felcra for the purpose of planting food crops.
Besides that, he has also invited cooperation from Felcra to share their experience and expertise in the development of the agriculture sector.
“That’s where Felcra can come over, bring over your experience and expertise in the planting of pineapples, bananas, vegetables and even in livestock.
“I can assure you the state government will give our cooperation.
“I can see that with this cooperation, we will be able to resolve the issue of poverty, increasing the people’s income and make Sarawak as one of the food producers in Malaysia,” he said.
He also took note of Bung Moktar’s plan to export Malaysia’s food products to Japan for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, following demand for halal food, and he hoped Sarawak could be part of the initiative.
“I am very happy that Felcra has a programme to produce, process and market beyond our shores.
“In 2020, Japan needs to import food for the Tokyo Olympics. I appeal to Felcra to sit down, let us build the total supply chain for all of us in Sarawak,” he said.
Aside from that, Uggah also invited Felcra to assist the state in developing the tourism potential in water bodies at hydroelectric dams in Bakun, Batang Ai, Murum and the upcoming one in Baleh.
He also appealed to Felcra to build two or three more palm oil mills in Sarawak to supplement the one in Sri Aman.
Uggah believed the construction of additional palm oil mills would be of great assistance to the oil palm smallholders to improve their income.
Areas earmarked for growth
Looking ahead, some of the areas that has the potential to be turned into agriculture produce includes Betong, Samarahan, Serian, Sarikei, Limbang and Tunoh.
Uggah during the latest State Assembly Sitting also revealed that more rural agricultural stations will be set up to bring services closer in order to transform rural farming communities to generate more income.
He explained that those stations will enhance the capacity and capability of extension workers, packaging the the rural agriculture station with trials and demonstration farms.
He observed that a good example of the rural agricultural station is the setting up of the station in Baram Highland, where highlands present huge land areas with great potential for rural transformation through agriculture development.
He noted most of the minorities residing in the highland, for instance the Penan form the majority of the hardcore poor who traditionally depend heavily on jungle produce, hunting and fishing for their daily food consumption.