MIRI: The Integrated Highland Agriculture Station (IHAS) in Long Banga in Ulu Baram is now under the management of the Ministry of Agriculture Modernisation, Native Land and Regional Development.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah who flew to Long Banga yesterday handed over the RM30.8 million station to the ministry’s Deputy Minister Martin Micheal Ben.
He stated that IHAS was planned by the Agriculture Department when former Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu was still in office.
He said the objective was for it to serve as a training and research centre for the Agriculture Department.
“I believe this centre can be a game changer for the people in the interior in terms of increasing food production by using the latest technologies where they can earn better income to escape the clutches of poverty.
“Moreover, it will also be an ideal training place for newly recruited staff to acclimatise themselves to very trying rural scenarios,” he said
The IHAS is to serve as a biotech research centre to develop high value downstream agro food processing and manufacturing for export.
Collaborating with the private sector in this aspect, it aims to increase overall food self-sufficiency, planting high value crops and enhancing efficiency of logistic support.
Furthermore, it will also be a production collection centre with chilling and packaging facilities for the Long Banga, Long Beruang and Long Peluan areas.
