By Ling Hui
KUCHING, July 18: The opening of the RM4.5 million Spaoh Agriculture Station marks the 10th agriculture station to be built by the Sarawak government for farmers to seek guidance and assistance on new farming technologies.
Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development (Manred) Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said that this is one of the state government’s initiatives to increase household income in Sarawak from RM2,131 to RM4,000 monthly.
“This is highly achievable because of Sarawak’s vast lands and hardworking farmers and breeders,” he said when declaring open the Spaoh Agriculture Station’s operation.
Uggah added the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) state government would lend a helping hand to the agriculture sector through Manred together with the Agriculture Department by providing grants, planting materials and modern technologies.
“The ministry (Manred) would create more agriculture parks where lots would be rented out to interested but landless farmers.
“We will also create more collecting, processing and packaging centres (CPPC) to help in the buying, processing and marketing of agricultural products,” he disclosed.
In stating this, Uggah emphasised that there would be greenhouse units in the 10 agriculture stations in Sarawak for the purpose of demonstrating modern farming techniques such as fertigation and hydroponics.
Meanwhile, he said that Manred had allocated a sum of RM1.5 million to Sarawak Farmers Organisation (SFO) for the purchases of fruits and vegetables from farmers in the state during the Movement Control Order period that lasted for almost two months. —DayakDaily
