Uggah: SFO to focus on helping farmers, breeders and fishermen sell their produce

Uggah releases the tilapia fries to launch the community project. Standing next to him is John Ilus.

SERIAN: The State Farmers’ Organisation(SFO), under its new management, will focus on helping farmers, breeders and fishermen sell their produce.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said this would be one of its primary tasks of the SFO.

“The organisation has a new chairman in the person of Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Ismail. He is also the Assistant Minister of Agriculture.

“Under him, the organisation will be reorganised to remain more focus in serving the needs of those in the sector,” said Uggah at the launching of the Agriculture Community Outreach Programme at Kampung Riih Daso near here yesterday.

According to Uggah, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg had specifically tasked the SFO to do such facilitation.

“He has advised it to liaise with Sarawak trade and tourism office in Singapore or Statos. We need to go into more overseas markets,” he said,

In a similar move, Uggah who is the Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development said all Area Farmers’ Organisations (AFOs) would also be asked to buy and process local products.

“Our farmers in particular have all along faced this problem of marketing. We want to help each farming family to have a monthly income of RM4,000 from their efforts.

“Then they can have better standard of living. This is the state government’s objectives for the people,” he added.

He also said the time has come for Sarawak farmers, breeders and fishermen to embrace science and modern technologies in their respective undertakings.

Uggah pointed out these would allow them to produce more superior goods in order to compete with other producers in Asia.

“We are already selling 2,000 live pigs to Singapore every week besides our tilapia fish. We are also selling our durian paste to China and Taiwan. And obviously we still have many more potential products for export,” he said.

He added the people must have the discipline, passion and commitment to succeed.

Meanwhile, Uggah also launched a community tilapia breeding project at Riih Daso, where 90,000 fries had been released in netting in the village pond.

A sum of RM300,000 has been allocated to the project which commenced in June.

Bukit Simuja assemblyman John Ilus, Sarawak Agriculture Department director Dr Alvin Chai and Serian Resident Tuah Suni were among those present.

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