Abang Johari placing a trophy on the pedestal to officiate the Sarawak Bumiputera Entrepreneurs Awards night while Abang Helmi (second left), Naroden (third right) and others look on. – Sarawak Public Communications Unit photo
KUCHING (Jan 13): Bumiputera entrepreneurs are encouraged to venture into circular economy like producing animal feed like chicken feed and fish feed from oil palm wastes instead of spending millions to import them in.
Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg explained that circular economy is based on environmental and recycling issues.
“We have a new problem, which is the rising price of chicken and eggs. If we continue to produce chickens, they need to eat, yet we import animal feed costing billions of ringgit.
“New technology uses leftover palm oil waste and biomass that can be converted to animal feel but we don’t use it, just throw away (palm oil waste). When ringgit is weak, surely the import bill will rise, and if we don’t feed the chickens, they will die. High cost of importing animal feed will then cause the prices of chicken to increase,” he said at the Sarawak Bumiputera Entrepreneurs Awards presentation held here tonight.
In fact, Sarawak has the resources to produce animal feed, and this can also be extended to producing fish feed, he said.
As such, he gave the Agriculture Department six months to produce own animal feed using palm oil wastes.
“I have asked Salcra (Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority) to start, and I give seed capital to produce animal feed, including the animals like cattle and whatever animal, so that we can control the price,” he said.
Similarly, fish production costs like in Batang Ai is 60 per cent due to animal feed which are all imported, he said.
Thus, he urged those with chemistry, biology and veterinary background to explore this new business field.
There are other sectors to venture in like micro algae aviation fuel production, but as this is risky, Abang Johari said to let the Sarawak government venture into it first.
A second industry entrepreneurs can venture into is the creative industry, and produce local drama to be shown overseas like Thailand, he said.
Abang Johari said Sarawak and Thailand is currently negotiating a drama exchange with TV Thailand to showcase the local talents and fashion. This is because dramas have the power to influence those from other countries to follow the fashion trend here, which will then become another industry by itself.
“This was why TV Sarawak (TVS) was formed. I created TVS not just for a TV station but to be a platform, to spread our culture to other places. For example, Winter Sonata, a Korean Drama was accepted in Japan despite Japan and Korea not having the best of relations.
“However, as the actors were popular, they were received warmly when she went to Japan. Even in Sarawak it is the same, first Hindustan, then Korea, until we follow Hindustan fashion and then now we look at popular Korean plastic surgery.
“Not only that, even Iban songs have spread far through TVS, to the point that everyone can sing ‘Berkikis Bulu Betis’,” he said.
Thus, anyone who wants to produce dramas can approach him for financial assistance, he said.
He added that new economy can bring new revenue to Sarawak compared to normal conventional methods like constructions and various development projects, as it brings positive impact and uses new ideas.
Also present at the awards night were Sarawak Bumiputera Entrepreneurs Chamber (DUBS) president Datu Abang Helmi Ikhwan, Deputy Minister of International Trade, Industry and Investment Datuk Malcom Mussen Lamoh and the ministry’s advisor Datuk Mohd Naroden Majais.
from Borneo Post Online https://ift.tt/CANauOU
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment