DALAT: The state government is all out to boost the sago industry.
The Agriculture Modernisation, Native Land and Regional Development Ministry will consider the setting of a board to regulate, enhance and strengthen the development of the sago industry in Sarawak.
Its minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said a special taskforce to be created to look after the development of the industry would meet in Kuching next week.
“The proposed Sarawak Sago Board is a good idea. We will discuss its formation there,” he said during a meeting with sago smallholders from here yesterday at the Sungai TalauCraun Research Centre (for sago) station.
“The government acknowledges the increasing important contribution by sago to the economy.
“For instance, in 2017 Sarawak exported RM86.8 million worth of the commodity.
“In 2000, the export value was RM24.2 million and in 2010, it went up to RM62.8 million,” he said.
“We are projecting to increase the value to RM100 million by 2030.
“I will chair this meeting together with the Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Ministry Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah.
“We will study the various grievances of the smallholders and the industry with a view to resolving them,” he said.
He said one of the issues to be looked into was how to transport the harvested trunks to mills in the absence of roads or canals.
Uggah also announced an allocation of RM11 million to develop the industry this year.
Uggah assured that the Sarawak GPS government under the leadership of Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg and his Cabinet members would find ways and means to resolve, particularly, land-related issues.
He said this would facilitate the process of rural transformation through modern agriculture.
Mukah Division is Sarawak’s largest producer of sago with 40,642 hectares under the crop there. In Sarawak, 46,768 hectares have been planted with sago.
Uggah advised the smallholders to diversify their economic activities so that they could earn more income.
He suggested that they should plant crops like pineapple and banana which now enjoyed good demands outside Sarawak.
On marketing, he said they could turn to their farmers’ associations for assistance. The associations could sell their products to the ministry’s anchor companies.
He added he recently told the Agriculture Department to come up with products utilising local fruits.
In this way, the farmers could earn income by collecting and selling these fruits instead of leaving them to the birds and bats.
At the function, Uggah also urged the Craun Research Centre to do more researches on sago like coming up with new by-products and shortening its maturity period from currently 10 to three years.
Dalat Sago Smallholders Association chairman Pon Akie, in his speech, requested Uggah to help get titles for their land which were promised to some of the owners 37 years ago.
He also wanted the government to consider their requests for the formation of the Sarawak Sago Board.
Fatimah, who is also Dalat assemblywoman, Agriculture Department director Dr Alvin Chai and Craun chief executive officer Zaidell Hussaini were among those present.
