Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom at the Gemilang Agro-Based Industry Dinner 2026. Photo by Lorenzo Isaac (TVS)
KUCHING, Jan 14: The Ministry of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development (M-FICORD) proposes to establish a unit to manage seasonal fruits to ensure that the management and marketing of seasonal fruits in Sarawak can be implemented more systematically and effectively.
Its Minister, Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom, said the move was important to avoid wastage of agricultural produce and to ensure that products such as durian, rambutan and dabai can be marketed throughout the year.
“We have to move towards downstream industries. Durian can be processed into paste, ice cream and so on. Dabai can be cut, processed and sold.
“It is my responsibility to ensure that the market and products are available,” he said at the Gemilang Agro-Based Industry Dinner 2026 here, tonight.
He added that although seasonal fruit yields are abundant, their management is still not systematic.
Therefore, the establishment of a special unit is needed to monitor and ensure that each yield can be optimised.
“Some areas such as Bintulu and Sibu show high potential yields, but some are still abandoned by the roadside.
“This creates a sense of guilt and sympathy because we ask them to continue producing, but we do not manage seasonal yields well,” he added.
He also touched on the importance of technology and innovation in the management of seasonal yields.
“Technology is important. New methods in agriculture such as mechanisation and breed selection need to be adopted so that our agro-industry can move to a higher level,” he said.
