Abang Johari speaks to reporters.
KUCHING (June 27): Laboratories will be held in the rural areas to convince the community to take agriculture as a business venture.
Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said he had negotiated with the vice chancellor of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), asking them to do the labs.
He believed that if Unimas have the labs in the rural areas, they can also train the community in the area, including the potential young farmers on the new approaches in agriculture like the Internet of Things (IOT), controlled temperature in one common area, controlled fertiliser and so on.
Abang Johari said Sarawak is serious in its effort to implement large scale agriculture to achieve its objective of making Sarawak a net exporter of food in 2030.
“Right now, we have quite a weird situation where we have land and huge areas for food production but we are not producing enough food.
“We are in an unreasonable situation if we don’t produce food with the strength that we have,” he told reporters after officiating at the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) commemorative convocation ceremony at Dewan Tunku Abdul Rahman (DeTAR) here yesterday.
Abang Johari said based on his observation, having been the minister in charge of agriculture before, Sarawak’s weakness is in production, lack of efficient process to produce high quality food.
He said now is the time for Sarawak to use digital approaches in it its endeavour.
He informed that the state government now does not regard agriculture as a bottom industry, but an industry that can bring good returns to the state and the people.
“That is why we ask Unimas to do the lab and researches, supported by the state government.
“It is a collaboration with Unimas and the state government. This can be done in a year because Unimas have got the input.
“It’s just a matter of how to convince our young people to take agriculture as a business entity,” he said.
Abang Johari believed Sarawak can also produce its own fertiliser from gas and animal feeds from its palm oil wastes.
He said if Sarawak can do so, it will not have to rely 100 per cent on import.
Because the state’s population is small, he said Sarawak will also have to focus on producing food for export.
“We have identified several areas as our agro-park to produce food on large scale basis, with each area as big as about 1,000 acres,” he said.
The agro-park areas are one each in Sarikei, in Betong, in Debak and in Bintangor.