By Nancy Nais
KUCHING, Feb 7: The Sarawak government will establish direct links with regional retailers to build direct supplier models in the agriculture sector.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the weaknesses of global supply chains, for which efficiency and resilience are important components.
“Hence, we must leverage on the potential of our two million hectares of agricultural land to produce food and agricultural downstream products.
“We also encourage the private sector with capital, expertise and technology as well as off-takers to venture into upstream production of our premium fruits, vegetables, livestock and seafood to be developed from-farm-to-table especially for targeted high-income countries,” he said at the launch of the action and implementation plan for the Post-Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS 2030) here today.
As there are vast and limitless opportunities to explore, Abang Johari added that Sarawak will not limit itself to just producing fresh products which have limited shelf lives.
Instead, the State will also explore agriculture downstream manufacturing activities such as food processing, supplements, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and various bio-organic products.
“We will position Sarawak as a key supplier to its regional neighbours and globally as the world looks to rebalance and diversify supply chains.
“It is imperative for us to have an effective physical and digital infrastructure as well as connectivity to ensure seamless trading flow in the areas of production, manufacturing, financing, logistics and digital communication to prepare Sarawak as a key global supplier,” he added.
Abang Johari also called on agriculture entrepreneurs to increase their capacity and quality through data-driven and innovative commercial farming models.
He urged these groups to explore the possibility of collaborating with multinational companies which have global market networks. — DayakDaily
