Gramong (second right) presents the certificate of attendance to Pemanca Chia Chhau Fah as (from left) Katis, Peter and Maurice look on.
KANOWIT: Local farmers have been encouraged to take up agriculture as a business to improve their income.
This is because other industries like motor and electronics are difficult to develop in Kanowit due to its locality, Assistant Land Development Minister Datuk Gramong Juna said.
“When I think of Kanowit all this while, the most suitable industry that can be developed here is none other than agriculture related activities.
“I have been telling people here about commercialised farming or plantations as a way forward to improve their livelihood,” he said when officiating at the closing of ‘Transformation of Modern Agriculture Development’ programme held in Nanga Lipus here on Friday.
Some 400 farmers including from Lipus, Machan and Ngemah attended the one-day programme jointly organised by the state Agriculture Department, Sibu Divisional Agriculture Office and Kanowit District Agriculture Office.
Noting that most farmers had land, Gramong, who is also Machan assemblyman, said they could apply for agriculture inputs and subsidies from relevant government departments and agencies.
“But to get the assistance, they must show that they are really interested and have the will and means to do so.
“Even if they have acres of land, the assistance will be useless if they are not interested to work on their land,” he said.
At the same function, Gramong received 131 new membership application forms to join Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB).
Present at the function were political secretary to the chief minister Maurice Giri, state Agriculture Department assistant director (Human Resource Development and Extension) Peter Jarit and Kanowit district officer Katis Noel Nyabong.