(Advertorial)
FORMER Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem understood that agricultural development is the answer to the transformation of rural Sarawak because of the state’s rich land and bio-resources.
As the largest state in Malaysia, up to two million ha of land in Sarawak can potentially be developed for agriculture to empower the rural community to increase their income through the export of their crops and produce.
To Adenan, this was a sustainable way to strengthen the rural economy and improve the socioeconomic status of rural folk. The ultimate aim was to eradicate rural poverty, which has been one of the most challenging tasks of developing economies such as Sarawak.
Incentives and assistance Within his short stint of three years as Chief Minister, Adenan repeatedly called on landowners and smallholders in Sarawak to modernise and commercialise agriculture.
Adenan encouraged agriculture players and agropreneurs to emulate the modern agriculture practices of farmers in the United States and other developed countries that produce more than sufficient food for domestic consumption as well as export.
“The farming population in the US comprises only 2 to 3 per cent but they can produce more food because they have developed modern methods of agriculture,” he observed in 2015.
Appointment of Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas The recalling of then Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas from the federal cabinet and his subsequent appointment as Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture and Rural Economy showed Adenan’s determination to make agriculture one of the main thrusts of Sarawak’s economy.
Taking the cue from Adenan, Uggah has embarked on a mission to transform rural areas through agriculture development with the same aim to free rural Sarawakians from the clutches of poverty.
“We hope the number of hardcore poverty cases will be reduced to a minimum by 2018,” Uggah told a press conference last year after the Department of Agriculture presented crops such as terung asam, tapioca and bananas produced by the Penan community in Long Beruang.
Uggah pointed out that human capital development programmes conducted by the department had changed the lifestyle of the rural community, enabling them to raise livestock, fish and grow crops.
He revealed that the department through the Regional Corridor Development Authority (Recoda) has planned to establish a 20ha agriculture station complex and a field station spanning 614ha to act as a research and development centre.
The state government has also been building rural growth centres (RGC) to provide a platform to transform rural communities, with the RGC at Ulu Baram already showing positive results.
In addition, the Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture and Rural Economy is working to build a complete supply chain for farmers and agriculture producers in Sarawak, in order to improve their incomes in a shorter timeframe.
“Farmers, especially in Sarawak, need to rethink the whole process of farming in the new era of globalisation.
From planting the seed to harvesting the crops and subsequently marketing the produce to end-users or consumers, modern farmers need to understand the entire supply chain, which could benefit them in the long run,” Uggah said after a study trip to a farm in West Java, Indonesia last October.
“They also need to do market analysis, provide better packaging to market their products and form a good network and distribution channel.”
Looking ahead, Uggah has identified areas with the potential for large-scale agriculture production namely Betong, Samarahan, Serian, Sarikei, Limbang and Tunoh.
During the latest State Legislative Assembly sitting, Uggah also revealed that more rural agricultural stations would be set up to bring services closer to rural farming communities.
“These stations will enhance the capacity and capability of extension workers, packaging the rural agriculture station with trials and demonstration farms. A good example of the rural agricultural station is the setting up of the station in Baram Highlands, where the highlands represent huge land areas with great potential for rural transformation through agriculture development,” he said.
Three sectors of agriculture – cattle rearing, pineapple cultivation and swiftlet farming – have been identified to further boost the income of local farmers.
Coastal lowlands and peatland for agriculture On Aug 16, 2016, Adenan announced that the state government had decided to open up the coastal lowland areas for agriculture and plantation development.
He said the decision was based on the enormous potential of coastal land and looking at peatland as the most strategic alternative resource due to dwindling arable land.
“This is to increase food production to cater for the increasing population and at the same time to eradicate persistent poverty, particularly in the rural areas,” he said in his keynote address for the 15th International Peat Congress.
He said using peatland had allowed the development of the palm oil industry, one of the fastest growing industries in Sarawak and a major contributor to the state’s total export value in 2015 at about 10 per cent.
“Peatland has become an important resource for Sarawakians, especially the rural farmers who are now able to elevate their standard of living and support their children’s higher education through income from oil palm smallholdings,” he said.
While pushing for agricultural development on peatland, Adenan also stressed the state’s commitment to forest preservation.
As a signatory of multilateral treaties such as the Earth Summit agreement in Rio de Janeiro, Malaysia has committed to preserve at least 50 per cent its land as forest area.
“In the Sarawak scenario, we have well exceeded the national commitment of forest conservation, where the state has a total forested area of 65 per cent, based on satellite imagery for year 2013/2014,” said Adenan.
He pointed out that environmental non-governmental organisations were not the only ones who care about Sarawak’s environment.
“We also care about our own environment. As Chief Minister, I have been flying over the state every week and I can see down there, greenery upon greenery. What I see doesn’t lie.
It is not a desert, burnt-out forest. It is greenery down there,” he said.
Citing the fact that Sarawak was the first in Malaysia to set up a biodiversity centre, Adenan stressed that the state does care for its environment and the preservation of its rich biodiversity including the orang-utan.
“In this respect, the state government has outlined a clear land use policy, which integrates and balances all aspects of economic development, social well being of local communities and environmental conservation.
“This policy, which embraces landscape planning, allocates the optimal amount of land for the purpose of agriculture, forestry and other miscellaneous use. With this policy, the state government has targeted to set aside six million ha of land as permanent forest estates and one million ha as totally protected areas,” said Adenan.
Abolishment of quit rent for smallholder agriculture land On March 15 last year, Adenan officially announced the abolishment of quit rent for smallholder agriculture land of less than 100 acres and residential houses, making Sarawak the fi rst state in Malaysia to implement such a policy.
Adenan said 173,752 titles were for smallholder agriculture land of less than 100 acres, with land rent amounting to RM3.62 million or 8 per cent of total land rent.
“All arrears and surcharges, if any, are hereby waived,” Adenan told a press conference.
During an interview with TV1 on Feb 26, he disclosed that the move was one of the state government’s steps to help the poor, especially in rural areas.
Private sector participation in food production Adenan also worked to increase food production through the participation of the private sector to ensure sustainable supply.
When launching the state-level 2016 Road to Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism (Maha) Show at the Lundu Waterfront on April 10, 2016, Adenan called for private sector involvement to increase food production through agriculture.
He believed that with farmers and manufacturers taking part in the food industry, the state and country would be able to cut down on imports which reached billions of ringgit each year.
“I am calling and inviting those from the private sector to invest in this as we must go for commercial agriculture to produce food. That is what we need in Sarawak,” he said.
He pointed out that it was vital for the state and federal governments to boost the nation’s food production in view of the rising population in Malaysia and globally. He added that a sustainable food supply would also play an instrumental role in the nation’s economic and social development.
“With Sarawak already having enough oil palm plantations, it is thus high time for the private sector to delve into the untapped agriculture and agro-based industry.
“The involvement of the private sector in the industry would then act as a support to farmers, fishermen and small-time food manufacturers by adding value and marketing the products,” said Adenan.
He cited buah dabai and Bario rice as among Sarawak’s food products that had the potential for export.
Adenan expressed disappointment that despite the huge potential, the development of the two products as well as cattle breeding for dairy and meat products had been discouraging due to the absence of investors.
“It is amazing that Sarawak is 10 times bigger than the size of Negeri Sembilan, yet the number of cattle that they have there is 10 times the number we have in Sarawak,” he pointed out.
He advised the private sector to take advantage of the state’s vastness to expand the agriculture and horticulture sectors, which could end the state’s reliance on imports.
“Currently, our state’s food production is not enough for our people’s consumption. This is why in 2015, the total expenditure for food import was RM4.26 billion,” said Adenan, adding that rice imports stood at RM289.25 million.
“These fi gures only show that there is more to be done to meet the needs of the people in Sarawak.”
Federal aid
To expedite Sarawak’s agricultural development, Adenan had on numerous occasions urged the federal government, particularly the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrobased Industry, to take the lead in preparing the infrastructure for agriculture in Sarawak while at the same time appealing for more funds to develop the sector.
“The state still needs the help of the federal government to develop its agriculture sector as insufficient infrastructure like road connectivity to farms in rural areas is hampering the development of the industry in the state,” Adenan said at the launch of the National-level Farmers, Breeders and Fishermen’s Day celebration, which was launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at the Kota Samarahan Civic Centre on May 10, 2016.
Adenan boldly stated that Sarawak hoped to enjoy similar development as seen in Peninsular Malaysia because the state government did not want its farmers, breeders and fishermen to be left behind.
He said the state government would continue to prioritise the development of agriculture, especially in rural areas, to help farmers cope with the challenges of the industry.
“We cannot deny that this sector is increasingly challenging especially in current economic situation where farmers face various issues like pest attack, logistics, social change, climate change and so forth,” he said.
He said the government’s initiatives to help farmers included the setting up of agropolitan, rural growth centre and rural service centre.
Adenan strongly believed in research and development and urged agencies such as the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi) to step up efforts in developing agrotechnology suitable for Sarawak.
“Other than that, both federal and state agencies need to strengthen agriculture extension activities, especially to facilitate transfer of technology so that farmers, breeders and fishermen can benefit,” he said.
Based on statistics in 2015, agriculture was the fourth largest contributor to the state’s income, raking in RM14.86 billion or 14 per cent of the state’s total income.
Adenan held a high respect for farmers and hoped more would be involved in the industry to cut down on food imports.
“We recognise the important roles of farmers, breeders and fishermen as they not only contribute to the economy but are main providers of food sources important for our people and the country, or else we will depend very much on imports which will increase the cost of our livelihood,” he said.
Visionary
Minister of Agriculture and Agrobased Industry Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek has praised Adenan for his vision and wisdom in pursuing rural transformation through agriculture.
“Tan Sri Adenan knew the importance of developing the agriculture and agro-based industry for the betterment of the rural populace in Sarawak. His legacy will live on through the government’s continued focus on this vision of rural transformation,” he said.