Borneo Fruits Festival more than just about fruits

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SARIKEI: The 13th edition of the town’s signature event has been rebranded as the Pineapple and Borneo Fruits Festival.

Despite the name change, it will not just be about fruits, just like the Pineapple Fest was not merely about pineapples during its inception 13 years ago.

“The 10-day festival to be held from May 1 to 10 will still be a platform to promote Sarikei as the state’s main food producer or Food Basket of Sarawak and agro-tourism destination,” Sarikei Resident Dahim Nadot said.

Dahim, who is also organising committee’s chairman, said they would strive to showcase the real potential of Sarikei as the state’s food hub and producer of other commercial crops like pepper, palm oil and rubber, and to ensure the festival live up to its name, they had allocated at least 10 stalls for exhibition and sales of different kinds of fruits and several stalls for other crops. They will try to make visitors spoilt for choice on fruits and other agricultural products.

He admitted that the previous festivals were held during off fruits season, and after realising the shortcomings, they then adjusted the timing for the coming event.

There will also be side events such as entertainment, cultural show, educational exhibition, traditional games, and water sports, he added.

Dahim invites the residents from all districts in the division and nearby places to come and have fun at the Pineapple and Borneo Fruit Fest 2015.

As the first day of the festival is to coincide with Labour Day, a divisional-level Labour Day gathering will be held as a curtain raiser, he said, adding that the main activity will be a mass aerobic where about 500 people comprising staff of various departments and members of associations are expected to participate.