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.
