New airport to boost Betong agriculture sector

Building an airport in the middle of nowhere would have been a ridiculous proposal any day. This was especially so for a place such as the Betong division in Sarawak 30 years ago.

But the need for a wider market for produce from this largely agricultural district has made it a necessity today.

The Sarawak government plans to build a short take-off and landing airport in Spaoh, one of the small towns in Betong, to enable farmers to reach a wider market not just in other parts of Malaysia but also overseas.

Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Abang Johari Openg handed the construction agreement document to D.A.L Keluarga Realty Cara Raya JV Sdn Bhd, the successful tender bidder, last Saturday.

Construction of the RM108.1 million facility will take about 30 months.

Over the years, agricultural produce from Betong had been trucked to the state capital, Kuching from where they were distributed to other markets. The journey could take up to five hours, by which time fruits and vegetables would not be as fresh as buyers would expect.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said if the produce could be shipped quickly to markets, it would still be fresh when it reaches customers.

“We need to raise production from now. The airport will be ready in three years and there will likely be an increase in demand for farm produce, Uggah Embas, who is Bukit Saban assemblyman, said.

This improvement in transport and the push to increase production are part of the state government’s vision to develop Betong into a modern agriculture centre, and one of its food baskets by 2030.

Uggah Embas said Sarawak’s tilapia fish and “midin” vegetable are in demand in Singapore and other countries.

To cope with this demand, he said the state government had started several projects in Betong, including development of an agricultural product collecting, processing and packaging centre and an entrepreneur incubator station.

Uggah Embas, who is state Agriculture Modernisation, Native Land and Regional Development minister, said the packaging centre would enable farmers to sell agriculture products like vegetables, rambutans, coconuts, pineapples and durians during bumper harvests.