‘S’wak can be world’s major food producer’

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LOCAL FRUITS: UiTM Sarawak Myagrosis Club members showing local fruit produce at one of the booths at the launching of the club. — Photo by  Muhammad Rais Sanusi

LOCAL FRUITS: UiTM Sarawak Myagrosis Club members showing local fruit produce at one of the booths at the launching of the club. — Photo by Muhammad Rais Sanusi

KUCHING: Sarawak has the potential to become one of the world’s major food producers with its vast acres of lands and year-round pleasant weather.

According to Minister of Tourism Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg, these factors when combined with the intelligence and capability of today’s aspiring younger generation will foster growth in the state’s modern agriculture sector.

“With such factors, one day we will be able to see Sarawak and Malaysia help people not only in our own country but also the world at large,” he said.

Abang Johari, who was speaking at the launching of the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Sarawak National Graduate Entrepreneur Farmers Club (Myagrosis) at the university here yesterday, pointed out that many countries around the world were constantly looking for food security to ensure that food was sufficient for their population.

“For instance in Arab, they have bought land and invested in countries in Africa and Asia in order to have food security for its people because of its limited agriculture potential.

“Sarawak, on the other hand, has an advantage in this with its vast terrains that are suitable for agriculture and livestock activities and if our younger generation was to put to good use that advantage coupled with today’s modern technology, they can become the core in the process of modern agriculture and help the country progress towards a better future,” he said.

Abang Johari, who is also Sarawak National Youth Organisation (Saberkas) president, advised students to equip themselves with the right knowledge and skills and take advantage of the available resources in the state.

Meanwhile, Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) chairman Tan Sri Dato Paduka Badruddin Amiruldin said in his speech that the UiTM Sarawak Myagrosis Club had since recruited some 300 members, and the number was expected to grow.

The launching ceremony also saw Badruddin presenting two mock cheques of RM85,000 and RM50,000 to UiTM Sarawak for two projects, namely Agrobazar Kedai Rakyat (K-shoppe) and Agroladang for chicken breeding.

More than 700 students witnessed the launch of the Myagrosis Club, which is one of the collaboration programmes between the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and the Ministry of Higher Learning (MOHE) in support of the national agenda on entrepreneur development.

Through the programme, university students will be given technical training in planting, livestock breeding, food processing as well as marketing of agro-based products.

Among those present at the ceremony was UiTM Sarawak rector Professor Datuk Dr Jamil Hamali.