TONGOD is set to become a concentrated Pig Farming Area in Sabah, with the 500acre PFA being one of the most advanced in the country, with the latest equipment and technology.
It would also mean huge revenue for Sabah through export with pig rearing becoming challenging due to limited land for such in traditional areas like Hong Kong, Singapore and even China.
“With this farm, we can help our people, especially the locals in this area, in terms of employment options,” he added. “They can also cultivate corn that can be supplied to this farm, which is also one of the essential meals for farm animals,” said Deputy Chief Minister cum Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan (pic).
“We’re hoping to start this project this year and finish it next year,” he added.
The project has been in the works since the previous BN State Government in 2018, and has been discussed in the State Cabinet in order to move it forward. Several issues, including the Covid-19 pandemic, led to the project’s abandonment. Access roads to the area have already been created and other facilities such as laboratory buildings, farms, quarantine centres, slaughterhouses and processing plants have been built.
Kitingan explained that the PFA would not only bring value to pig farming by serving as the major breeding centre, but it will also be processed and exported, as well as creating a means for producers to market and process their products. Kitingan also paid a visit to Telupid’s Buffalo Breeding and Research Centre as well as the Brackish Water Development Project.
“Pork meat, for example, is in high demand, and Sarawak is one of the exporters to the Singapore market.
“With this PFA, Sabah has the potential to become an exporter in the future,” he said. PFA promotes the growth and development of a well-established swine industry for subsistence and export, as well as improving food security and income, by adopting an environmentally friendly concept that includes zero pollution into the environment, a closed house system, and encouraging the growth and development of a well-established swine industry for subsistence and export. It’s also far from any densely populated places.
On the African swine fever (ASF), Kitingan said the spread of ASF in Sabah, which had a negative impact on the income of roasted pork (sinalau bakas) dealers, is being addressed and that the disease could be eradicated in the State.
“As a result, I believe wild boar farming, as well as pig farming in their respective farms, will grow again. What we can do is make sure this ASF does not spread and is eradicated in Sabah,” he said.
He anticipated that the situation would improve in the future, with more wild boars in the forests and more pigs in farms. “This will reduce the cost of roast pork production,” he said. Meanwhile, he said other options should be explored as part of his ministry’s preparedness in the case of a price hike as a result of the Russian war.
“We will constantly be prisoners to price increases if we are excessively reliant on imports from places like Russia. Perhaps it’s time we looked for other options to help us overcome this,” he said.
Sabah produces 8,642 metric tons of pork per year, worth RM155.555 million in pig production value.
Meanwhile, with a production of 203,00 pigs every year, it is estimated to produce revenue of RM223 million through PFA.
