KUCHING: Sarawak has exported 37,884 metric tonnes of sago starch valued at RM78.29 million.
Modernisation of Agriculture and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom said the commodity has mainly been exported to Peninsular Malaysia and Japan with 51.27 per cent and 35.47 per cent of the total export volume respectively.
“Sarawak is the world’s largest exporter of sago flour and has established its global market position for sago starch to maintain its competitiveness.
“Thus, the government must ensure and sustain its comparative advantage over this market segment and price dominance.
“In this context, the state government is promoting and expanding the development of the crop on a commercial basis due to its potential as a food source through the establishment of Sago and Nipah Development Board (SNDB),” he said when tabling the Sago and Nipah Development Board Bill, 2022 at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Sitting yesterday.
He noted that the potential of the sago industry has not been economically and commercially exploited mainly due to its long gestation period.
“However, based on a study by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), sago has its potential for food production and food security to meet the demand of growing population in the future. Sago is found to have high starch content, environmentally friendly and a hardy crop,” he said.
He further explained that sago is a food crop while its starch has diversified uses in both food and non-food applications. It is widely used in the making of sago pearls, fish crackers and fish balls, noodles (vermicelli and kueh tiau), sago pellets and cookies. In addition, it is also being used as thickener, filler, binder and stabilizer such as in soups (canned and powdered), instant desserts, custard powder, and confectioneries. Sago is also used as an ingredient in certain food and fermentation industry for the production of monosodium glutamate, sweetener (high fructose syrup, glucose, maltose, and dextrose) and alcohol productions.
The non-food potential applications of sago starch, he said, are mostly in the form of modified starch as in the production of adhesive materials, while sago cellulosic biomass could be turned into biodegradable packaging, animal feeds, bio-fertilizer and biofuels.
“Over the past few decades, the relative importance of sago as the state key agriculture revenue earner has been gradually replaced by other commodities namely oil palm, pepper and rubber.
“This is due to lack of control and regulations within the sago industry where the industry players are operating in unorganised and fragmented segments which most often are not in alignment with the government’s strategic objectives.
“As a result, the industry is currently inundated with issues such as shortage of sago logs as raw materials; low sago productivity; limited usage of sago starch; low value-chains in sago production; under-utilised sago biomass; and pollution created through the milling activities,” he said.
To address these persistent and other emerging issues concerning the industry, SNDB’s formation is crucial to oversee the overall planning and development of the sago industry in Sarawak.
