KUCHING: The future of agriculture in Sarawak is going to be bright as importers in other countries have already started to buy food products from the state.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said a good example is Singapore importing tilapia fish, while China imports banana chips and durian paste.
“Since we set up Sarawak Trade and Tourism Office Singapore (Statos), there have been a lot of interest from the business community on the island including its government. This means Singapore has became our gateway to the global market,” he told reporters after attending ‘Government Linked Agencies (GLC) Leaders’ Dialogue with Temasek Holdings Singapore’ organised by the Sarawak Centre of Performance Excellence (SCOPE) and State Financial Secretary of Sarawak at the centre’s auditorium in Yayasan Sarawak building, Masjid Road yesterday.
He calculated that once Singapore imports tilapia from Sarawak, naturally the volume will increase over time.
“They also want to import high-quality ‘empurau’ fish (kelah in Malay) for which they are willing to pay premium prices because ours are free from chemical contamination. This again means that our food industry is going to be very bright,” he said.
He said thus it was time for Sarawak to transform and promote its agricultural industry.
“I think we are going in that direction. I started this (promoting Sarawak’s agricultural sector) two years ago and I understand the federal government also wants to focus on the same thing. We are first in that direction and are on the right track,” he said.
He added that the state’s food industry has great potential but it is important for it to utilise digital and modern technologies in order to achieve precision and produce quality food products.
Earlier, in his speech, Abang Johari also pointed out the five dams in Sarawak that would enable the state to generate huge income.
“From our dams, there are important spin-offs such as such as the production of hydrogen and quality fresh tilapia,” he said, adding that the areas surrounding the dams can also be turned into resorts.
