SPAOH: Ample opportunities will continue to be given to rural folk to generate more income.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said this included creating venues for them to engage in selling their products.
“Rural folk must grab such opportunities to produce more so that they can sell more to earn more.
“At the same time they must listen to feedback on the ground on how they can improve on their services or to increase their sales,” he said when declaring open the RM5 million Spaoh Community Market here yesterday (Mar 3).
Uggah said they must also be able to create or improve on existing food dishes to attract more customers.
“We, your leaders, are willing to provide the necessary training in cookery or food preparation,” he said.
Spaoh and its neighbouring areas, he added, are already famous for their local puffer fish or ‘Buntal’ besides sago worm and jungle vegetables to name a few exotic food.
“If you can prepare these exotic foods better than in other areas, you will attract people to the town.
“This will change the image of Spaoh town which is always very quiet in the morning but will be full of people in the afternoon,” he said.
Uggah also reminded the people to keep their town, market, villages and longhouses clean and free of rubbish at all times.
At the same time, he said they must protect against vandalism and theft of all the facilities that the government had prepared for them.
In a related development, he said a sum of RM20 million had been set aside to help develop the agriculture sector here.
He also said a new food court area (Medan Selera) costing RM5 million would be built in the third quarter of this year and adjacent to the new market.
In addition, the waterfront fronting the market would be upgraded at a cost of RM2 million.
Uggah was joined by his wife Datuk Doreen Mayang, Betong MP Dr Richard Rapu and Betong Resident Richard Micheal Abunawas.
