By Natasha Jee & Alexandra Lorna
KUCHING: Land is a precious asset to the Dayak community and cannot afford to be ignored, said Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He claimed that’s why the state used the land productively to produce good outcomes.
“In this regard, commercial agriculture is the solution, and current technology must be used in agricultural activities.
“This includes employing digital processes in our effort to produce more food and other commodities,” he said at the state-level Gawai Dayak 2022 celebration at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here, yesterday.
According to Abang Johari, given Sarawak’s size and the fact that the world is experiencing a food crisis, the state should not have any trouble increasing its food production.
“If we know how to secure our land through structural planning and modern technologies, we can overcome the food crisis issues,” he pointed out.
On another note, he said Sarawak has a variety of resources that are valuable to the state.
“Assets are extremely important to us economically, provided we know how to manage them and simultaneously increase their value.
“In this case, we are doing our best to add value to the various resources available in the state.
“In addition to the current advancement, the state must also develop.
“We cannot just focus on Sarawak alone — every strategy we employ must be relevant to what is occurring globally,” he said.
During the event, Abang Johari also agreed to Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Labour, Immigration and Project Monitoring) and Federation of Orang Ulu Associations of Sarawak, Malaysia (FORUM) advisor Datuk Gerawat Gala’s request to provide additional funding for the federation.
Meanwhile, the Orang Ulu community has been entrusted to organise this year’s state-level Gawai Dayak celebration.
Each year, the Iban, Bidayuh and Orang Ulu alternate hosting the festival.
Also present were Deputy Premiers Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas and Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian.
