CONSTRUCTION OF MODERN PIG FARM BEGINS IN SARAWAK

SIBU, Nov 6 (Bernama) -- The construction of another modern pig farm in Sarawak had just begun with the ground-breaking ceremony of the facility in Sungai Selabi, Selangau today.

Sarawak Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom said the RM300 million project on the 232.69 hectares plot will help Sarawak achieve additional revenue worth RM1.5 billion by 2030.

The Selangau Pig Farming Area (PFA) designed to house 12,000 Parent Stock (PS) is expected to be completed within a year and will start to produce 150,000 pigs a year in 2027.

“The facility will use new technology to ensure biosecurity to avoid African Swine Fever which almost wiped-out the pig farming industry in the state,” he told reporters after the ground-breaking ceremony of the farm project.

The Pasir Puteh PFA in Simunjan, which has exported over 350,000 porkers worth RM312 million since 2017 and about 2,500 live pigs weekly to Singapore, is expected to have a Standing Pig Population (SPP) of 250,000, while the Modern Pig Farm (MPF) in Ensengei, Serian, which is still under development, will have a SPP of 50,000 by 2030.

Dr Rundi said the Selangau PFA is developed by Best Pork Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of a group which has a strong reputation in chicken, broiler and egg production in Sibu.

He urged Selangau residents to get involved in the business by supplying cassava leaves and tapioca for animal feed to the farm, apart from taking the opportunity to learn about the pig farming.

Likewise, he expressed hope that the company would share its experience and expertise with the local young entrepreneurs who want to learn about pig farming.

“We are looking at commercialising agriculture by 2030 and hope to increase household income of farming community from RM6,000 to RM15,000 then to eradicate poverty,” he said.

Meanwhile, Best Pork Sdn Bhd managing director Richard Ngu said with cutting-edge biosecurity and environmental management practices, the facility will set new standards for efficiency and sustainability to ensure Sarawak remained at the forefront of agricultural development in Malaysia.

-- BERNAMA