SPAOH: Efforts will be intensified next year for the Bukit Saban constituency to be a food producing area.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said this would be facilitated by an allocation of RM60 million from the Betong Division Development Agency (BDDA).
“Our people must be guided to seize the opportunities given for those activities of their choice.
“We have now identified oil palm, pepper, padi, fruits and vegetable farming in addition to poultry and pigs rearing beside cottage industry activities like baking, Baju Kebaya embroidery and others,” he said.
Uggah said this during a meeting with his Bukit Saban PBB branch committee members at Rh Mendit Unsu in Penom here, today.
He added that for marketing purpose, the RM17 million collecting, processing and packaging centre at Bebuling was almost ready.
“We are in the process of ordering the relevant facilities like machines for drying, packing and even deep freezing.
“With the Bebuling STOLport expected to be ready in August next year, it will provide fast transportation of finished products outside,” he stated.
Uggah said the Farmer’s Organisation and a few other agencies would help in finding the markets.
He added that modern farming concepts like fertigation and hydroponics would continue to be emphasised.
“We already had some locals who had successfully embraced both.
“We hope to train farmers in these modern concepts at the Bebuling Agropark.
“It would consist of 65 hectares for greenhouse purposes and 300 hectares for other farming uses,” he stated.
Uggah said it was critical that farmers became successful in all their endeavours so that they could increase their income.
“Sarawak has already been recognised as a high income region. But there are still pockets of people who need help to raise their income level.
“So the GPS government is there to help them,” he said.
Later, he also visited the site of the Sungai Paku bridge project to check on its construction progress.
The 107m-long bridge costing RM36 million is now 41 per cent completed and is slightly ahead of schedule.
It is expected to be completed in October next year but he hoped the contractor could do it as early as August.
He also visited the SK Paku Sentral to check on its access road upgrading process. The government had set aside RM500,000 for the project.
