By Jacob Achoi
KUCHING, Nov 8: A coffee campus will be built at Bayur in Padawan to cater to coffee growers and enthusiasts in the Mambong area.
Covering an area of 20 acres of parcel of land, the project is expected to start next year and funded under the Greater Kuching Coordinated Development Agency (GKCDA).
Telling reporters this, Deputy Minister of Transport (Aviation and Roads) Datuk Dr Jerip Susil said the Public Works Department (JKR) is already putting up the tender for the project.
“GKCDA had already approved the construction of a coffee campus, where we will have a collection centre, coffee nursery, coffee research centre, and a coffee cafe, which we hope to start next year.
“At the moment, JKR is putting up the project for tender and by next year, the coffee campus will come up,” Dr Jerip said today at the launching of a mini coffee collection centre and the Persatuan Penanam Kopi Padawan (PEKOP or Padawan Coffee Growers Association) at Kampung Emperoh Git, Jalan Borneo Heights.
According to Dr Jerip, about 600 hectares of land in the Mambong constituency are already covered by coffee, focusing on the Liberica variety.
“For the coffee campus and our coffee estate, we are partnering with international parties for quality products comparable to those in Venezuela and Brazil.
“Among those we are working with is a renowned and one of the biggest coffee roasters from Belgium to help up with the packaging and marketing overseas,” Dr Jerip, who is also Mambong assemblyman, said.
He also said that the Department of Agriculture will assist with the mini coffee collection centre at Kampung Emperoh Git, while also mooting the idea of setting up a Sarawak Coffee Board. — DayakDaily
