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Dr Rundi speaking to reporters at a press conference after delivering his ministerial winding-up speech at the State Legislative Assembly (DUS) complex on Oct 20, 2026. Photo credit: DayakDaily Advertisement
By Amanda L
KUCHING, Oct 20: Sarawak wants to make farming a more profitable business to draw younger people into the sector, as ageing farmers and uncertainty over where to sell their produce threaten the future of rural agriculture.
Minister for Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development (M-FICORD) Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom said farmers must move beyond subsistence farming and treat agriculture as a business that delivers tangible returns.
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He said the State was looking to develop agricultural industries that could provide reliable markets for farmers, rather than simply encouraging them to grow more crops without addressing where the produce would be sold.
“Every single drop of your sweat must be translated into dollar and cent,” he told reporters at a press conference after delivering his ministerial winding-up speech at the State Legislative Assembly (DUS) complex today.
Dr Rundi said agriculture required a complete supply chain covering upstream production, processing and downstream marketing to ensure farmers could benefit from their efforts.
He cited cases where farmers were encouraged to grow crops such as rambutan but were left facing questions over where to sell their harvest.
“That is the reason why my ministry is looking very hard to create industry. So you create industry, become off-takers, become something that can develop and be benefiting all whoever involved in farming agro sector,” he added.
He also called for farmers to work more closely through associations and agricultural clusters, noting that individual farmers could not manage every stage of production on their own.
Pointing to agricultural practices in Thailand and Taiwan, he said stronger cooperation among farmers could help them improve production and marketing.
The minister said attracting younger people into agriculture was equally important as the existing farming population continued to age, with some younger family members unwilling to take over their families’ activities.
“The more energetic, more trainable, more knowledgeable—these are the people, very good enabler for us to move forward to make sure agro sector not just only profitable, but sustainable,” he said.
He said Sarawak was pursuing modern farming methods, including precision agriculture, fertigation and Internet of Things (IoT) applications, alongside the development of dedicated agricultural areas such as Tarat Agro Park.
The State is also focusing on higher-value crops, including coconut, pineapple, durian and banana, to increase the value of agricultural produce.
Dr Rundi said these efforts were aligned with Sarawak’s ambition to become a net food exporter by 2030 and the Post-Covid Development Strategy (PCDS) target of raising household income to at least RM15,000 monthly by the same year.
He expressed confidence that rural households could achieve the income target through a combination of agricultural and commodity activities and better-paying employment among family members.
However, he acknowledged that infrastructure remained a challenge for rural agricultural development, particularly road access, water supply and telecommunications.
He said continued investment in infrastructure and capacity building was necessary to support farmers and ensure the benefits of Sarawak’s economic development reached rural communities. —DayakDaily
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