KUCHING: Sarawak Gastronomy (SAGO) Incubator participants should be given priority to participate in future food festivals.
Deputy Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister Datuk Gerald Rentap Jabu said entrepreneurs should be given a good platform to showcase their skills and talents in the food and beverage (F&B) industry.
He assured that his ministry will ensure SAGO Incubator participants are given priority to be listed so that they can sell their unique food and drinks at festivals such as Kuching Food Festival and What About Kuching (WAK).
“It is important for the participants to be given a suitable platform so that they can showcase their products to the community.
“In addition to featuring a variety of unique dishes, this is also a platform for them to generate income. They have the potential to go further through the various programmes organised.
“Therefore, my ministry will help and support the journey of entrepreneurs to further develop their products,” he said during the closing ceremony of the SAGO Festival and SAGO Incubator Programme 2023 at the Hills here yesterday (July 23).
On raw ingredients, Rentap suggested that F&B entrepreneurs grow some of the ingredients themselves as buying them from the market might be pricey.
Touching briefly on their businesses, he said there will be numerous challenges that they have to face before they are successful.
“That is why you need to have a deep passion to succeed in this field. And it is also important for entrepreneurs to constantly do research to create diverse and unique foods.
“This effort will not only increase the uniqueness and quality of the products produced, but also increase the variety of food and drinks that are to be sold,” he said.
In light of this, Rentap called on entrepreneurs to also record and share their recipes with fellow entrepreneurs.
“By doing so, your recipes will not die with you and the hybrid and improved versions may also be created and ensure our food culture in the state continues to live on,” he said.
