THE adoption rate for modern agricultural technologies among the farming community in Sarawak is still very low.
Deputy Minister of Food Industry, Commodity, and Regional Development Datuk Abdul Rahman Ismail said this is due to the higher investment cost as well as a lack of skills and knowledge.
“The implementation of modern agricultural technologies such as information technology, Internet of Things (IOT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been slowly gaining momentum. Applying these technologies in agriculture could help to improve production efficiency, achieve higher yields, and ensure food security.
“This will also attract the younger generation to agriculture activities,” he said when responding to Satok assemblyman Datuk Ibrahim Baki during question time today.
Abdul Rahman assured that the ministry is undertaking various initiatives to promote the adoption of modern agricultural technologies.
Among the initiatives are providing training and extension on modern agriculture as well as developing precision farming park and Sarawak Agro-Technology Park (SARTECH).
“We are also collaborating with the private sector and institutions to develop smart agricultural technologies and provide financial support such as grants and loans,” he said.
Touching on prevision farming technology being used in Sarawak, Abdul Rahman said a smart feeder and smart paddle wheel system is being implemented in shrimp farming.
He said the system has been successfully implemented by one private company in its shrimp farm at Luba Stoh, Santubong, Telaga Air, and Sambir since 2019.
The system has produced good results in terms of better quality and higher production by more than 50 per cent compared to conventional method.
“The same system is now being implemented by 20 tilapia farmers at Batang Ai as a pilot project by the company in collaboration with Pertubuhan Peladang Negeri Sarawak with the intention to raise the monthly income of the farmers to at least RM6,000 per month from around RM1,000 at the moment,” he said.
Abdul Rahman said the state government has approved RM90 million under the Alternative Funding to establish three precision farming parks.
These projects will be implemented at Rampangi in Kuching, Sungai Sibiew in Bintulu, and Kabuluh in Miri in which they will focus on cultivating high value vegetables such as tomatoes, chilies, ginger, and shallots.
“These projects are currently in the planning stage and construction is expected to begin by the fourth quarter of this year or first quarter of next year,” he added.
