Reps visit ‘kelulut’ farm owned by cooperative

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(From left) Jamit and Nanta cutting the ribbon to mark their visit to the KUBK ‘kelulut’ farm as Elvis, Marin and members of KUBK look on.

KAPIT: A group led by Kapit MP Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi and Bukit Goram assemblyman Jefferson Jamit Unyat visited a ‘kelulut’ (honey) farm owned by Koperasi Usahawan Bumiputera Kapit Berhad (KUBK) at Jalan Aman, Melekun here on Saturday.

Among those in the group were Deputy Kapit Resident Galong Luang, political secretaries to the chief minister Tapah Ata and Maurice Giri, Kapit district officer Elvis Didit, Bukit Mabong district officer Douglas Pungga and Agriculture Department assistant director in charge of Kapit, Bidin Unor.

On hand to brief the visitors on the ‘kelulut’ farm was KUBK secretary Marin Bilun. Marin said they chose the area for their honey bee culture because of the great varieties of fruit trees there.

“Here we have durian, langsat, mango, dabai, rambutan and citrus fruit trees like lime, oranges and banana and even coconut. Different fruit trees bear flowers at different times so the bees can thrive. This area is rich in flora which is conducive to bee cultivation. Different flowers help to produce different flavours, for instance coconut flower is different from acacia,” explained Marin.

He said KUBK is a cooperative involving farmers in Melekun, who pool their resources together.

“Bees require a big area to roam around. More importantly, we are able to receive assistance and professional advice and even financial aid like in processing, packaging and marketing, adding value to our products,” he said.

He added that the going had been good and they had harvested the honey three times so far.

“Our members enjoy the honey and recently we held a promotion. We were greatly encouraged when the response from consumers was overwhelming,” he said, adding that the honey provides many health benefits.

The visitors pose for a group photo with members of KUBK at the farm. Seated from third left are Douglas, Elvis, Nanta, Jamit, Galong, Watson Awan (chairman of KUBK), Tapah and Maurice.

‘Kelulut’ produced by KUBK is on sale at Terasang Market on every Sunday morning in bottles of 500ml, 1,000ml and so on.

Jamit lauded members of KUBK for their far-sightedness in venturing into honey culture.

“There is great potential in the honey industry. There is great demand in the market because of its nutritious value and wide usage. Consumers are willing to pay high price for the original honey. Thus, I encourage landowners here to venture into honey culture,” he said.