By Yee Mei
KUCHING, June 28: Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg has announced seed capital of RM5 million for Forest Department Sarawak (FDS) to set up a model orchid garden.
He revealed this while officiating at the State-level International Day of Forests 2022 celebration held at Industrial Forest Research Centre (IFRC) at Jalan Puncak Borneo today.
Abang Johari recalled a previous trip to the Netherlands, a country which produces many flowers and is a major contributor to the global flower industry.
“During my tour around the research centre, I saw some orchids, which are known to be expensive. When I was in the Netherlands, I noticed that they produce many flowers. Can you imagine how much orchids would cost?
“This means that the market is there, and I promised FDS director Datu Hamden Mohammad to give seed capital to have a model orchid garden so that the private sector can learn how to produce orchids and other flowers,” he said, adding that he hoped the orchids produced can be commercialised within two years.
Later in a doorstep interview, Abang Johari elaborated that Borneo orchids are unique and can be bred to create hybrids which could then be exported.
“Borneo has unique species of orchids which can be bred and have different colours and features. But it has to be done through certain research,” he said.
Abang Johari said the orchid garden would also be equipped with digital devices to analyse the orchids and produce them in large quantities for economic research.
He added that the orchid garden would most likely be set up in Semenggoh and act as a research complex for FDS and Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC).
Meanwhile, the Premier also stressed the importance of research and development (R&D), saying that IFRC can be an important research institute alongside SBC.
“As you know, I have set up the Sarawak Infectious Disease Centre, and we need all this because we have this biodiversity resource that can become a basis for us to develop our pharmaceutical industry.
“For all you know, we might be able to produce medicine to fight Covid-19. So, we must be prepared to have scientific research to combat new diseases,” he said.
The event also saw Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signings between FDS, represented by Hamden, and four of its strategic partners.
The strategic partners are Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia (JPSM) represented by its director-general Dato’ Indera Mohd Redza Awang; Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) Incorporated Sdn Bhd represented by its chairman Noor Azmi Mat Said; World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia (WWF) represented by its chief executive officer Sophia Lim, and Japan Malaysia Association (JMA) represented by its president Ogawa Takakazu. — DayakDaily
