KUCHING: The Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture and Rural Economy has set up the Sarawak Agriculture Products Export Corporation to manage the exports of Sarawak agriculture products.
It’s Minister, Datuk Amar Douglah Uggah Embas said it was important to have an agency to regulate and manage the export of Sarawak products for the international markets.
“This corporation will be responsible for building and managing the exports of Sarawak agriculture products to overseas markets and ensuring sufficient export orders on a sustainable basis.”
Markets in different countries had their own regulations to ensure that the food supply was safe, Uggah told a press conference after officiating the Seminar on Sustainable, Quality and Safe Agriculture Production 2017 at Imperial Hotel here yesterday.
He added the Sarawak Agriculture Products Export Corporation would ensure sufficient supplies of the promoted agriculture products by working closely with smallholders and local plantation owners.
Uggah said the corporation would also ensure the state’s export competitiveness by promoting the use of the latest technology in agriculture and encouraging the use of technology through capital participation.
“Our main emphasis now is to commercialise and modernise the agriculture sector.
“We are moving away from the old traditional system into hi-tech, precision farming, smart farming and so on,” he said.
Uggah also revealed that the corporation would take up equity in promoted agriculture production projects which would be properly planned and managed for the purpose of upgrading agriculture technology.
“It shall withdraw its equity from the projects once they have become commercially viable on their own.
“Initial focus will be on bananas, coconut and durians for export to Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore.
“The exports to China and Japan shall be achieved with a longer time frame because of the administrative protocol involved,” said Uggah, adding he would convene an international conference with experienced foreign speakers for the purpose of exploring opportunities in the production and exports of tropical fruits by the state.
Added the Minister: “ It is targeted that by the year 2020, 100 percent of farmers in the state will abide by the Malaysian Good Agricultural Practices (myGAP) to ensure that the local products can penetrate international markets, too.
“We must make sure that our products can be sold not only locally but also in the international markets such as in ASEAN, China, India, Japan and South Korea.
“We must encourage more farmers to abide by myGAP and make sure that the food produced is safe for consumption and meet the market demand out there,” he said.
Earlier on, 11 farmers in the state received their myGAP certification.
Also present were Assistant Minister for Rural Economy (Interior Areas) and Plantation, Datuk Francis Harden Hollis, Assistant Minister for Rural Economy (Coastal Areas) and Fisheries, Datuk Julaihi Narawi, Assistant Minister for Agriculture, Malcolm Mussen Lamoh and Director of Agriculture, Datu Lai Kui Fong.