| James Kon |
THE current target of B$100 million per year in the local livestock sector is to be tripled by further increasing production within the local industry in order to raise its contribution to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP).
This was revealed by Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong, the Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism on the sidelines of the launching of additional closed-system poultry houses for Riza Fudhlana Farming yesterday, held at the agricultural development area of Tanah Tuah Bebatik Kulapis.
To achieve the target, the minister said, “(The) Agriculture and Agrifood Department is opening up new areas and providing suitable land for local breeders especially chicken breeders because the contribution of broiler chicken production is the biggest contributor within the livestock industry.”
Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali added, “We are satisfied with the response from the public who are interested in venturing into poultry farming and contributing to the GDP of the country.”
Meanwhile, on the benefit of using the latest technology of closed systems, the minister said, “In addition to further boost production, the utilisation of the closed system poultry house is the best practice to control the temperature, increase growth and the reduce possibility of diseases to bring down mortality rate of the newly hatched chicks.”
To further encourage locals to venture into small scale chicken breeding, the minister proposed that small-scale chicken breeders can collaborate with established chicken breeders like Riza Fudhlana Farming, for obtaining chicks from hatcheries of established chicken farms.
In order to help small-scale chicken farms to sell their chickens, he said that “after the chickens are fully grown, small-scale chicken farms can also sell off their chickens back to the big farms that have established channels to distribute the chickens to supermarkets and processing houses for export”.
Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong, Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism touring the exhibition at the launching of additional closed-system poultry houses for Riza Fudhlana Farming yesterday, at the agricultural development area of Tanah Tuah Bebatik Kulapis. – JAMES KON
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