By Ling Hui
KUCHING, Feb 16: Sarawak exported 51.27 per cent of its total sago starch export volume to Peninsular Malaysia and 35.47 per cent to Japan.
Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture and Regional Development Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom said Sarawak as the world’s largest sago flour exporter, exported 37,884 metric tonnes of sago starch valued at RM78.29 million in 2020.
Over the past few decades, however, the relative importance of sago as the State’s key agriculture revenue earner had been gradually replaced by other commodities such as oil palm, pepper, and rubber, he pointed out.
“This is due to lack of control and regulations within the sago industry where the industry players are operating in unorganised and fragmented segments which most often are not in alignment with the government’s strategic objectives.
“As a result, the industry is currently inundated with issues such as shortage of sago logs as raw materials, low sago productivity, limited usage of sago starch, low value-chains in sago production, under-utilised sago biomass, and pollution created through the milling activities,” he said when tabling the Sago and Nipah Development Board Bill, 2022 in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting here today.
Dr Rundi thus pointed out the importance of a regulatory body to be formed to oversee the overall planning and development of the industry in Sarawak.
The bill proposes to establish the Sago and Nipah Development Board (SNDB) which will explore the potential of sago and nipah palm which grow abundantly in Sarawak.
The setting up of SNDB, Rundi said, is an initiative under the purview of the Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture and Regional Development to promote, facilitate and develop the sago and nipah industries as new frontiers to maximise economic returns and increase smallholders’ income.
The Board will also formulate strategic objectives, policies and priorities for the orderly development and administration of both sago and nipah industries in Sarawak.
Once the bill is passed, SNDB’s jurisdiction will encompass all upstream and downstream activities in the sago and nipah industries including the planting, processing and utilisation of sago and nipah, production of sago starch and nipah sap, and manufacturing of sago and nipah products and their derivatives.
All these activities will be regulated by the implementation of registration and licensing schemes and enforcement activities.
The sago industry in Sarawak is presently dominated by smallholders who accounted for 92 per cent of the total estimated planted area of 32,329 hectares.
There are currently eight sago processing factories mainly in Mukah, Betong and Sarikei divisions that are in operation with an average production of up to 1.5 metric tonnes of sago starch per hour.
Sago is a food crop while its starch has diverse uses in both food and non-food applications. It is widely used in the making of sago pearls, fish crackers, fish balls, noodles namely vermicelli and kueh tiaw, sago pellets and cookies.
Additionally, it is also being used as a thickener, filler, binder and stabiliser such as in soups, instant desserts, custard powder and confectioneries.
Sago is normally used as an ingredient in certain food and fermentation industries for the production of monosodium glutamate, sweeteners and alcohol. — DayakDaily
