Local farmers to have easier access to financing

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From left, Paul, Ismawi, Mohamad Taufik and Syed Ibrahim at the signing ceremony while in the back row from left, Jabu, Roland, Abdul Rahman, Uggah and Mohamad Hashim look on.

KUCHING: Investors and farmers will now have easier access to financing in the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score) area with the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Regional Corridor Development Authority (Recoda) and Agrobank during the Agrofest 2018 today.

The signing of the MoU was to enable potential investors and agricultural entrepreneurs in the three development agencies under Recoda namely Upper Rajang Development Agency (URDA), Highland Development Agency (HDA) and Northern Region Development Agency (NRDA) with special financing programmes.

It is also to facilitate the development of local agropreneurs to participate in commercial agriculture and the development of the agriculture supply chain in the area.

The MoU was signed between Recoda chief executive officer Datu Ismawi Ismuni and Agrobank chief strategic officer Mohamad Taufik Mahamad Zakaria.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak, Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native and Regional Development and HDA chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.

“I am confident that the proposed financing programme by Agrobank will be beneficial in developing entrepreneurs among local people and agricultural communities in Sarawak,” Uggah said at the signing ceremony held at Penview Convention Centre Demak here today.

He also said that the initiative was in line with the state development plan to make Sarawak a high-income and advanced state by 2030.

“Collaboration such as this (between Recoda and Agrobank) is important to support the state government agenda to transform the rural development through dynamic and commercial agricultural activities,” he added.

Agrobank is a development financial institution that was established in 1969 to support the growth of agriculture sector in Malaya by providing comprehensive financing solution for upstream and downstream agriculture activities.

Among the attendance were Recoda investment management division officer-in-charge Paul Porna, Agrobank Sarawak Region director Syed Ibrahim Syed Mohd, former deputy chief minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu, Assistant Minister of Native Land Development Datuk Roland Sagah Wee Inn, Assistant Minister of Rural Electricity Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi and Agrobank board members director Dato Dr Mohamad Hashim Ahmad Tajudin.