Uggah (seated fourth right) in a group photo with (seated from left) Wilson, Ismawi, Henry, Jabu, Gerawat, Anyi, and Dennis, as well as (standing from left) Leslie Chai – the representative from SEB, Philip Ng – the representative from Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Transportation, Rita Toyad – the representative from SPU, and Buckland.
KUCHING: The Highland Development Agency (HDA) has set its sights on bringing a faster pace of development to the highland areas, particularly through commercial agriculture production.
A press release from the Regional Corridor Development Authority (Recoda) said, as such HDA has set its priority now on ascertaining the most suitable areas for commercial agriculture, namely for farming and the production of highland crops, as well as planning for the infrastructure and facilities needed in the highland areas.
HDA – an agency set up this year under Recoda – is also closely monitoring the construction progress of the Integrated Highland Agriculture Station (IHAS) in Upper Baram and is expected to be a catalyst for the development of agriculture in the highland areas.
At HDA’s second board meeting here yesterday, HDA chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas stressed the importance of realising the potential of modern agriculture to transform the highland areas, particularly in the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) from Long Lama up to Upper Baram, as well as the highland areas in Limbang and Lawas.
“This meeting made concrete recommendations for ‘quick-win’ projects and priority infrastructure projects through Recoda for budgeting under 2018 and 11th Malaysia Plan mid-term review. Our priority now is to have the infrastructure and facilities, because only once they’re up and running can we implement all our plans.
“We also need to identify the available land assets in the HDA area so that we can attract investors and accelerate our development efforts in the highland,” said Uggah, who is also Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development.
Meanwhile, Recoda chief executive officer Tan Sri Datuk Amar Wilson Baya Dandot briefed the HDA Board on the various proposed infrastructure projects that will facilitate the development plans within the HDA area, as well as providing the opportunities for the local communities to participate in economic activities, starting with the farming of kelulut or stingless bees.
Apart from briefings by Land and Survey Department and Department of Agriculture, Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) was also invited to brief HDA on its Community Innovation Centre for the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER), which covers the four northern states in Peninsular Malaysia, while Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) gave a briefing on its Rural Knowledge Centre initiative.
The private sector, namely AgroBank and RH Resources Sdn Bhd, were also invited to brief the HDA Board on their agriculture-related financing model and commercial kelulut operations, respectively.
HDA Board members present at the meeting included HDA advisor Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr Alfred Jabu Numpang; State Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker and Mulu assemblyman Datuk Gerawat Gala, who is also HAD deputy chairman; Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism and Lawas Member of Parliament Datuk Henry Sum Agong; Baram Member of Parliament Anyi Ngau; Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau; Deputy State Secretary (Socio Economic Transformation) Datu Ismawi Ismuni; and Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development Permanent Secretary Buckland Bangik.
The other Board members – from the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Transportation; Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports; Ministry of Utilities; State Planning Unit of the Chief Minister’s Department (SPU); and Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB) – were also represented at the meeting.
Also present were Limbang Resident Datu Maria Hasman and Miri Resident Sherrina Hussaini, who are both ex-officio members of the HDA Board.