Suckling Pig

Suckling pig, anywant? One the the delicacy in Kuching Restaurant 

All pig farms to be relocated to Pasir Puteh Pig Farming Area

SIMUNJAN: Sarawak is pushing ahead to move all the 27 pig farms in Kuching, Kota Samarahan and Serian divisions to the Pasir Puteh Pig Farming Area (PFA) by December 2018 under the first phase of the project to integrate pig farming in one area.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said the state-of-the-art facility would house 250,000 standing pigs population (SPP) once the first phase of the project is fully implemented.

“We have been informed that as of today there are 27 lots available for farmers at PFA, which have been offered to the 27 respective farmers and 22 of them have indicated positively their intention to move their farms here.

“And we are confident that they will move in as most of them have paid their deposit ranging from RM30,000 to RM900,000 as required by the condition for them to operate here,” he said this during a press conference after his visit to the Pasir Puteh PFA, Simunjan here yesterday.

Uggah, who is also the Minister of Modernisation and Agriculture and Rural Economy said one of the target markets for PFA’s pork production would be Singapore, as PFA had been exporting its products to Singapore since last year.

He added up till August this year, PFA had exported a total of 668 tonnes of meat to the island republic and that it aimed to export one thousand tonnes by year-end.

“I was told there was a potential about five thousand pigs per day and at the moment, we are only supplying about one hundred per day, so there is a very big gap and it is a very big potential,” he said.

Meanwhile, during his visit Uggah pointed that various issues were raised and one of them was the land title and the legal status of PFA operators which will be brought up to the government by his ministry.

“I’m pleased to know we are exporting the product to Singapore that is a good beginning we hope in a year’s time by 2018 all the 27 or at least the 22 farmers who had responded positively will move into this place,” he said.

Uggah noted that the development of PFA is a long term strategy under the National Agriculture Policy to restructure the livestock breeding industry and transform, modernise and centralise the pig rearing industry.

We could also control the pig waste pollution through modern centralised waste treatment system and implement proper animal disease control and public health protection.

As of now, only 100ha of the 804ha have been utilised in the PFA with one anchor farm which started its production since 2010 with 4,974 SPP and this number increase to 22,401 in 2015, today there are 23,000 SPP.

He disclosed that the government had spent a total of RM212.98 million – RM143.2 million from the state government and RM69.78 million from the federal government to develop the phase 1 project, which commence in 2005.

Among those accompanying Uggah during the visit was Assistant Minister of Rural Economy (Interior Areas) and Plantation Datuk Francis Harden Hollis.

‘Pork export to S’pore can bring in RM325m annually

KUCHING: Sarawak can expect to get about RM325 million (SGD125 million) annually from exporting pork to Singapore from 2020 once the Pig Farming Area (PFA) at Pasir Puteh in Simunjan is fully utilised.

A State Veterinary Department spokesman said the first consignment last month to the island republic weighed 11,865 kg and was valued at RM151,476 (SGD58,260).

“Initially, we are talking about an annual revenue of some RM1.8 million, but we can expect a revenue of some RM325 million annually once the PFA reached its full potential in the next five years,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.

He added that by year 2020, 90 per cent of pig farmers would be moving to PFA Pasir Puteh as required by the government.

“It would take some time for them to resettle there as it would involve a lot of investment to start new farms there.
This will include acquiring land and constructing the necessary infrastructure before they could move in. This is one of the reasons they have been very reluctant to be resettled there.”

However, the spokesman said one of the incentives for the pig farmers to move to PFA Pasir Puteh was that their farms would be awarded the Good Animal Husbandry Practices (SALT) certification, which could facilitate their products for export, especially to Singapore.

The spokesman said this when asked to comment on Natural Resources and Environmental Board (NREB) Controller Peter Sawal’s statement yesterday that all pig farms from Kuching and Samarahan divisions were expected to move to state-of-the-art PFA Pasir Puteh by 2020.

Currently, only one anchor farm is operating there since 2007, and an additional four main pig farms would be moving there soon as the farmers were now constructing the pen houses and other infrastructure.

The 804 ha PFA Pasir Puteh was implemented in accordance with European Union (EU) standard. Some RM200 million had been spent on facilities and infrastructure, and an additional RM200 million to complete the whole project.

When completed, the PFA would be the biggest of its kind in the country and the most advanced in the region. Waste products such as biomass from the farm would be recycled and used for generators, making the farm sustainable.

When fully operational, the farm would be able to process 500,000 porkers a year, with a total turnover of RM500 million.

The PFA has a capacity of 250,000 of standing pig population (SPP) and the abattoir facilities would be able to process up to 1,500 heads of pigs a day.

The abattoir facilities, based on a German technology, consisted of a modern slaughter house cum processing plant.

PFA Pasir Puteh was implemented under the National Agriculture Policy (NAP) 1984, which requires pig production to be carried out in designated areas.

Sarawak State makes breakthrough in pig farming

Sarawak has a made a breakthrough in pig farming and has made the stringent  Biosecurity  and Sanitary and Phytosanitary  requirements by Agriculture and Veterinary Authority, Singapore for the export of pork. 

“We are now exporting frozen pork to Singapore. The first container was shipped out to Singapore  on 2nd  February 2015 with a total nett weight of about 12 mt,” Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Modernisation of  Agriculture Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang said in his winding-up speech in the State Legislative Assembly here yesterday.

Since then, he added, a total of twenty five containers with total  nett weights of 413 metric tones had been exported to Singapore.  

“The export is on going with around 60 metric tones targeted per month,” he said. 

With regards to the progress of the centralised pig farming Area at Pasir Putih, the Archor Farm currently has a total of 22,500 standing pig population (SPP). 

Another twenty two pig farmers from Kuching and Samarahan  Divisions were expected  to move into the pig production area latest by 2018.

The projected pig production from the Pig Farm Area shall reach 250,000 SPP  from 2020 onwards. When phase 2 of the project is completed, a turnover of 500,000 porkers with a total estimated value of RM500 million per year is expected. 

On the progress of the implementation of Agropolitan projects in Sarawak, he informed the august House that out of the five areas being developed, namely Batang Sadong, Samarahan, Pulau Bruit Mukah, Batang Lupar Sri Aman, Gunung Sadok Betong and Kedaya Telang Usan in Ulu Baram, the first three areas that have been planted with oil palm have now started to bear fruits. 

For Gunung Sadok, he said, the rubber trees which were planted in the first phase would be ready for tapping by 2017/2018.

“Through this project, the Government  hopes that the participants will be able to improve their income level and subsequently be out of poverty,” he said.

Jabu said, his Ministry was working closely with the Federal Ministry of Plantation Industry and Community (MPIC relating to the future development for Sarawak to embark on latex industry.