LIMBANG: The Sarawak government has approved a grant of RM6 million to develop and strengthen the buffalo rearing industry in Limbang Division, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.
Uggah, who is also the Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development, said Limbang Division had traditionally been the state’s main producer of buffalo.
However, he said the current number of heads has dropped to about 5,500 from more than 12,000 heads in 2000.
“Buffaloes had always been synonymous with the livelihood, culture and tradition of the Bisaya people in Limbang and the Orang Ulu in Bario, Miri Division.
“Under our rural transformation programme for the Northern Region Development Authority, it is one of our objectives for the buffalo rearing sector to be a major economic activity in the area,“ he said when officiating the 16th Babalung and Buffalo Racing Festival at Batu Danau near here today.
On efforts to raise the buffalo population in stages, he said this would begin with the creation of grazing grounds within the next two years and the repairing of fences of the community paddocks.
“Then we will bring in the breeding stock and introduce modern technology to ensure better birthrate,“ he said, adding that he was in Darwin, Australia early this year to look at potential breeding stock among others.
Uggah also called on the people to pursue modern agriculture by venturing into vegetable and fruit farming and listed durian, pineapple, banana, maize and coffee as crops of great potential.
He said his ministry planned to set up a collecting, processing and packaging centre (CPPC) to buy these products from farmers, which required the volume for it to work. — Bernama
