By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, May 23: Despite the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) disease in Sarawak, there are seven commercial pig farms still operating throughout Sarawak, including the Pasir Puteh Pig Farming Area (PFA Pasir Puteh).
Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development Minister Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom said PFA Pasir Puteh has been approved as ASF-free by the Department of Veterinary Services Malaysia and Singapore Food Authority.
“The ASF-free status awarded by these authorities has enabled PFA Pasir Puteh to continue the supply of fresh pork to local and export market.
“To accelerate the development of the swine industry, my Ministry is aggressively promoting private investment for the development of modern pig farms (MPF),” said Dr Rundi when delivering his ministerial winding-up speech at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly held at the new DUN Complex here today.
He disclosed that the most recent investment involves a private company starting a MPF on 519 acres of land at Jalan Ensengei, Samarahan while the development of 234 hectares for PFA Selangau is expected to commence soon.
On the ASF outbreak in the region, Dr Rundi who is also Kemena assemblyman said the disease has greatly affected the supply of pork products.
“Hence, my Ministry will continue to identify suitable areas to be developed as PFA to meet the demand of pork products,” said Dr Rundi.
As for short-term measures, he said the Sarawak government has approved the import of frozen pork from ASF-free nations such as Spain and Denmark to stabilise the price.
In 2022, a total of 2,380 metric tonnes of frozen pork was imported mainly from Spain and Denmark.
For the first quarter of 2023, a total of 3,233 metric tonnes of frozen pork were imported, Dr Rundi added.
He said Sarawak has been one of the major producers of swine and pork products in the region.
As at December 2022, a total of 140,000 pigs with a value of RM147 million were exported to Singapore from the Pig Farming Area (PFA) Pasir Puteh, Simunjan. — DayakDaily
