Salcra looks to up output, efficiency IOT migration

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Uggah receives a souvenir from Vasco (left).

LUNDU: The management of Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Salcra) has been given a new Key Performance Index (KPI); to double production of its oil palm plantations, increase efficiency, and migrate to Internet of Things (IOT) in order to reduce production cost.

Its chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah announced the tall order after officiating at the closing of the 6th Salcra Development Committee (SDC) at its Bajo Training Centre near here Friday evening.

“We want to increase our production from 12mt/ha per year to 20mt/ha by 2025,” he said.

Uggah, who is also deputy chief minister, said the industry’s average was now 22mt/ha.

To achieve this, he said Salcra would be carrying out a pilot IOT project in their oil palm plantations, complete with sensors to monitor workers, soil fertility, fertiliser, plant growth, and movement of machinery.

Uggah said the low production could be attributed to multiple issues that include poor management, plants not well fertilised, fruits not harvested, and not enough workers.

“With the latest technology, we hope that the data can be transmitted to headquarters. You know a good plant just by looking at the (colour of the) leaves. We will use drones to take pictures of the growing plants,” he said.

Uggah said Salcra would also be using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to map the ground before they start planting.

“With the mapping, we can work out the slope, and design roads to maximise planting areas and reduce our production cost.”

When asked to comment on the biggest issue brought up by the participating landowners, Uggah said from the18,000 areas (land lots),12,038 have been surveyed and issued with land title under Section 18 of the State Land Code, while 6,199 areas have been surveyed but not yet issued with land titles, and 7,129 areas have yet to be surveyed.

“We undertake to issue the land title within six months for the 6,199 areas that have been surveyed. For the 7,199 areas that have not been surveyed yet we will spend about RM5 million of Salcra’s money to hire private surveyors to do the surveying work within two years,” he said.

Uggah, the former federal minister of plantation industries and commodities, said Salcra had been given a new KPI; that land title must be issued three years after planting.

“Land title is the biggest issue among land owners,” Uggah said.

Earlier in his speech, Uggah thanked Salcra management and staff for their ‘never say die attitude’ in helping the government to set up the land development agency against all odds with the challenges growing by the day.

Apart from the technical aspect of managing a farm, land issues and bureaucratic red tape, Uggah said Salcra was the most popular subject online – on social media and chat groups – by doomsayers who wanted to see them fail.

“When we first started, you must have remembered how they said that we – Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu and I – would be selling off the participants’ land. Today, it has been proven we are not selling an inch of their land, but give them title under Section 18 of the Land Code, and generate good income for the participants.”

Uggah added that Salcra’s most important objective was to make maximum profit for the benefit of the participating landowners.

“There are challenges, issues, negative comments on WhatsApp and other social media apps along the way, causing a lot of confusion and distraction.”

He lauded the Salcra management for organising the conference that allowed landowners to meet and mingle with fellow participants, and provide an opportunity to speak directly to top management officials over myriad of issues.

“With the presence of SDC, Salcra and the landowners can sit down together to discuss issues and find solutions to problems, and together we chart Salcra’s future direction to achieve new heights, and become the prime land developer in Sarawak,” he added.

Science Research advisor to the Sarawak government Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu and his wife Tan Sri Dato Sri Empiang, Uggah’s wife Datin Amar Doreen Mayang, Salcra general manager Datu Vasco Sabat Singkang and political secretary to chief minister Dr Richard Rapu were also present at the function.