State exports first batch of live pigs to Singapore today

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Uggah (second right) and Dr Ng holding up the Export License and Veterinary Health Certificate issued by the State Veterinary Authority. Also seen was Sagah (right).

KUCHING: The state has exported its first batch of live pigs to Singapore with a shipment of 350 pigs today.

Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said the company, Green Breeder Sdn Bhd from the Pig Farming Area (PFA) at Pasir Puteh Simunjan, had previously exported 90 metric ton of frozen pork since February 2015 on a monthly basis, marketing under a premium brand ‘Borneo Pork’.

“But the Singapore market also need live pig, now the source is an island in Indonesia, we are the second one. This is breakthrough for us. They need 1,200 live pigs per day to be sent to Singapore.

“That means now we have new market for our live pig and market for food product, and this show we are on the way to trying to achieve what the Chief Minister dream one day we be the net exporter of food product,” he said when met after witnessing the loading of first batch of live pigs at the Kuching Port Authority yesterday.

Uggah added that Sarawak has a big potential to do livestock farming as the state has a vast area of land.

With this first consignment, it will be an eye opener to Sarawak farmers and enterpreneurs, and hope more of them will come up and take part in producing food product, he said.

“Before any of this can be exported, it have to comply with stringent requirements by the Singapore government. One good advantage is we don’t have foot and mouth disease, and must take advantage of this situation.”

He appealed to all farmers to take care of their livestock to be free from the diseases.

Meanwhile, Green Breeder Sdn Bhd director Dr Ng Siew Thiam said that after the first consignment, the company will send 200 live pigs daily to Singapore on a trial run.

“For today’s first batch, we are sending 350 live pigs and subsequently 200 live pigs per day. After the test run then it will be launched in Singapore in January 2018.”

He said that the trip will take 50 hours to reach Singapore.

Assistant Minister of Native Land Development and Tarat assemblyman Datuk Roland Sagah Wee Inn was present at the event.