Bintulu soon to have 1,000-acre agropark with greenhouses, organic farms in Samarakan

Dato Sri Tiong King Sing

By Ling Hui

BINTULU, Nov 17: Bintulu will soon see a 1,000-acre agropark with greenhouses and organic farms developed in Samarakan, says incumbent Bintulu MP Dato Sri Tiong King Sing.

He said the land identified for the agropark pilot project is being cleared, and once ready, the agropark would be open for local farmers to visit.

Aside from providing food supply, he said the agropark would serve as a reference for high-technology farming for local farmers.

“The reason the Sarawak government came up with this agropark idea is that we don’t want (Sarawak) to go full force on oil palm plantations.

“When this pilot project starts, we want the local people to see the new way of farming. We want to show them how to earn more using high-tech farming rather than the primitive style of crop planting,” said Tiong, who is also Dudong assemblyman.

In terms of technology, he said a university in China had been identified as a partner, but due to Covid-19 restrictions, the professors involved are unable to visit Sarawak, though discussion between both parties has been going on for about a year now.

“When they come to Malaysia, they don’t have to be quarantined, but when they return to China, they need to undergo quarantine.

“So, they suggested that we wait for China to open (its borders), then they will come,” Tiong told DayakDaily in an exclusive interview at the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) Bintulu service centre recently. — DayakDaily