BETONG: Increasing the people’s income through modern agriculture and other economic activities here is now a top priority for Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.
He plans to achieve this together with the respective elected representatives from eight constituencies in the Betong Division through the Betong Division Development Agency (BDDA), the Agriculture Department and all other related agencies.
“The World Bank had recently recognised Sarawak as a high income region. But we must ensure our people too will have increased income.
“The target is by 2030 each household can earn an income of RM6,000 per month,” he said to the media here on Monday (July 15).
To facilitate this, the BDDA is setting aside a sum of RM265 million to implement various economic programmes in eight areas under it, and this included constructing farm roads, strengthening modern farming activities, building up food and handicraft industry, livestock rearing and others.
“Some of us in the division, especially the oil palm and pepper farmers and marine fishermen, are already high income earners but we want more to join the rank.
“That is why the government has came with many programmes and allocated very substantial fund to finance them.”
He said while assisting the people with these programmes, the government too had strengthened the basic infrastructure needed.
Among them are the ongoing construction of the RM296 million Bebulling STOLport expected to completed in August next year, the RM17 million Collecting, Processing and Packaging Centre (CPPC) near this STOLport, the creation of two agroparks at Bebulling and Lubok Tamang.
Uggah added the government had approved a sum of RM60 million to improve the drainage at the Bebulling Agropark and another RM40 million to develop it.
On the proposed Tanjung Sebekut modern padi farming area in Spaoh, he thanked the government for allocating RM50 million to upgrade its drainage and irrigation system.
“Later we hope to apply new technology and introduce machination in the planting to harvesting processes.
“We are targetting five harvests each two years period of planting and with one hectare yielding eight tonne.
“With better yield and income and easier workload through the usage of technologies and machines, we hope to attract the youth into commercial padi planting.”
Uggah is also eyeing hybrid seed from the Green World Genetics company operating at Simpang Debak in Spaoh which is doing research and development works on seeds and other planting materials.
“We also need a complete supply chain especially a marketing unit. So I am looking at the Saribas Farmer’s Organisation to fulfil this role.”
Touching on his Bukit Saban constituency, Uggah said a sum of RM60 million had been set aside for various agriculture activities.
He was glad to note that farmers in the division had begun to embrace new farming concept like hydroponic and fertigation.
“We have now for instance six green houses at Simpang Layar where an entrepreneur is planting rock melon.
“There is a longhouse in Engkerbai where the folks are growing ginger using the fertigation concept.
“They are now doing the second planting. Their first planting and harvesting had earned them a sale of RM53,000,” he said, while adding that over 100 families are also encouraged to rear the free range ‘Ayam Kampung’ too.
He added there are proposed new programmes are commercial crawfish rearing and cattle breeding.
“I would like to remind the people involved that while the government could only provide advisory and financial or material support the onus is on them to make a success of their undertakings. “So they must stay resilient and committed.”
Uggah later handed over compensation totalling RM2,475,478 to 100 landowners affected by the construction or upgrading of two road projects here.
The projects are the Ulu Paku – Ulu Kota link Road and the Saka, Betong to SK Paku Central Road.
