PADAWAN: Venturing into the coffee business can be a lucrative opportunity for farmers to increase their income in the long term, according to Deputy Minister of Transport (Aviation and Roads) Datuk Dr Jerip Susil.
The state government is focusing on coffee cultivation and will establish a coffee collection and packaging centre in the Bayur township.
“We also plan to develop a small coffee plantation that covers about 1,000 acres of land,” said Dr Jerip during the Leader with the People programme held at Kampung Sitang, recently.
He explained that the global supply of coffee is decreasing, so there is an opportunity for the community to get involved in coffee cultivation and potentially become the biggest coffee producer in the state in the future. He also mentioned that by planting coffee, more agricultural roads can be built to make use of unused Native Customary Rights (NCR) lands.
Dr. Jerip urged everyone to work together with the Land and Survey Department and the Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA) to document NCR lands in each village in the Mambong constituency.
During the same event, Dr. Jerip, who is also the Mambong assemblyman, allocated RM200,000 for the Rural Transformation Project (RTP) to improve the community hall in Kampung Sitang. Additionally, RM50,000 was allocated for the annual activities of the Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK) of Kampung Sitang.
Also present were Padawan Assistant District Officer Julius Scott Sapong, Pemanca Raymond Jihap, Penghulu Dolik Sembong, Kampung Sitang chief Joseph Merot, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Mambong branch youth chief Wilson Ahon, and president of Bisitang Kuching association Odrick Quick.
