MIRI: A total of 140 dilapidated agriculture rehabilitation stations across the state need to be upgraded in order to ensure the sector’s sustainability, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas
When asked on how much is required for the upgrading work, he opined that the amount has yet to be decided but assured that his ministry would seek for special funds from the state government.
“For the last three years, I have noticed that these agriculture rehabilitation stations are in dilapidated conditions and needed to be upgraded.
“We need to bring it up in order to have a place to display our agricultural development and various crops besides increasing domestic production to meet the demand,” he said to reporters after attending the Agriculture Department Appreciation Night here on Friday.
He added that the problems with dilapidated stations were severe and needed to be resolved immediately.
“For example, the agriculture station in Kabuloh. We have 600 durian trees there and it is a farmed environment which can be further developed into a tourist attraction,” said Uggah.
Meanwhile, he revealed that his ministry had planned to set up these stations in every area across the state and turn it into regional research centre.
“We want every region (in Sarawak) to have a research facility,” he opined.
During the event, a total of 148 department staff across the state received Excellence Awards (APC), while 70 of them who are about to retire within this year, received certificates of appreciation for their services.
Also present were Local Government Assistant Minister Datuk Dr Penguang Manggil, Women, Family and Childhood Development Assistant Minister Rosey Yunus, Sibuti MP Lukanisman Awang Sauni, Piasau assemblyman cum Sarawak United Peoples’ Party secretary general Datuk Sebastian Ting and Agriculture Department acting director Dr Alvin Chai.
