By Jacob Achoi
SERIAN, Oct 16: A food terminal centre is being planned in Kuching to serve as a wholesale market.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas says the terminal will also act as a food exchange.
Also in the pipeline is the recruitment for “extension staff” with plans to rope in experts in various fields including commodities, fruits and vegetables, for higher production.
“In our (state) drive to become a net food exporter by 2030, our farmers need to be guided by experts, so that is another area that we are building, besides providing agricultural facilities.
“So with these components, we hope to increase our production and also to help our farmers to increase their income,” Uggah told reporters here today.
He has earlier officiated at the closing of the Agriculture Community Outreach Programme (AgriCOP) for Kedup area at Kpg Bunan Gega in Tebakang, near here.
Uggah who is Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development also told reporters that another effort taken by the government was artificial insemination for livestock like cattle, buffaloes and pigs to increase production.
Uggah said the state’s self-sufficiency for cattle was at only about 10 per cent and 1,000 heads of cattle from Australia was imported last year to meet local demand.
On durians, he said the approach taken by the state government was to focus on matured durian trees to increase production, and the state has plenty of matured trees but low yields.
He revealed that meanwhile, the state is also exporting banana powder to Pulau Pinang and Kuala Lumpur while a company from Kota Samarahan is exporting banana chips to China and Taiwan.
“Our effort to help the farmers will continue and we emphasise increasing food production to achieve our target of becoming a net food exporter by 2030,” Uggah stressed.
Kedup assemblyman Martin Ben and Serian Resident Tuah Suni were among those present. — DayakDaily
