Blikau strikes a gong to officiate the opening of Pesta Dabai Song.
KAPIT: Those having ‘dabai’ orchards should take good care of the plants so that they can bear good and bountiful fruits which they could sell as extra source of income.
The advice came from Katibas assemblyman Datuk Ambrose Blikau Enturan when officiating at the Pesta Dabai in Song over the weekend.
Blikau lauded Kapit District Council for organising such a meaningful event that received overwhelming response and support from the local community.
He also commended Kelab Gagung Sarawak for their splendid performance that brought more excitement and cheer to the Pesta Dabai.
He said Song is popular for the best ‘dabai’ fruit in Sarawak, being its birthplace.
“People from other districts also plant ‘dabai’ but the soil in their area is not as good as in Song. Thus, I call on all the dabai fruit orchard owners in Song district to take good care of their orchards.
“If you don’t maintain them well and grow good varieties Song could lose in ‘dabai’ production in the long run as ‘dabai’ growers in Kanowit, Sibu, Bintangor and other areas are planting the good seedlings from Song,” Blikau reminded.
He called on local farmers and ‘dabai’ orchard owners to carry out replanting and develop new ‘dabai’ farms.
He also called on the council and other relevant agencies such as the Agriculture Department to carry out a research on how to preserve the fruit so that it can be sold daily.
Commenting on the Song Waterfront project Blikau hoped that it would be one of the most beautiful waterfronts in Sarawak.
Present were his wife Datin Marie Therese, Walikota of Kapit Dato Philimon Nuing, political secretary to the chief minister Tapah Ata, Kapit District Council secretary Jabang Juntan, heads of various government agencies, councillors and community leaders.
Held for the first time, Pesta Dabai Song was organised by Kapit District Council in collaboration with the various government agencies in Song district.
Among the activities held on the first day were dabai exhibition, cultural presentation, performance by Kelab Gagung Sarawak and a concert.
The following day, the activities included the Best Dabai competition, cooking competition featuring ‘dabai’ recipes, guess the number of dabai fruits competition, Katibas Bridge Fun Run, Song Got Talent competition, children colouring contest, Song Strong Man contest, community sports and Song mini powerboat competition.