Click here for Official launching of the congress on sustainable agriculture and food security COSAF2022 pdf files.

OPENING ADDRESS AND OFFICIAL LAUNCHING OF

THE CONGRESS ON SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY (COSAFS2022)

BY THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

DATUK PATINGGI TAN SRI (DR) ABANG HAJI ABDUL RAHMAN ZOHARI BIN TUN DATUK ABANG HAJI OPENG

PREMIER OF SARAWAK

21ST– 24TH SEPTEMBER 2022 THE WATERFRONT HOTEL, KUCHING, SARAWAK, MALAYSIA.

SALUTATIONS

Yang Amat Mulia Tengku Syarif Laksamana Perlis Dato' Seri DiRaja Syed Razlan Syed Putra Jamalullail Chairman, Board of Director Universiti Putra Malaysia

The Honourable Dato Sri Dr. Stephen Rundi Anak Utom Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture and Regional Development Sarawak

The Honourable Datuk Dr. Haji Abdul Rahman Bin Haji Ismail

Deputy Minister Modernisation of Agriculture and Regional Development Sarawak

(Modernisation of Agriculture)

The Honourable Tuan Maclaine @ Martin Ben

Deputy Minister Modernisation of Agriculture and Regional Development Sarawak (Regional Development)

Yang Hormat Dato’ Professor Dr. Mohd Roslan Sulaiman Vice-Chancellor

Universiti Putra Malaysia

The Honourable Datu Edwin Abit Permanent Secretary

Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture and Regional Development Sarawak

UPM Top Management, Distinguished Professors and Keynote Speakers, Lecturers, Students and

Ladies and Gentlemen.

Assalamualaikum, Salam Sejahtera and Salam Ibu Pertiwiku

OPENING

A very warm welcome to everyone to the Opening Ceremony of The Congress on Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security (COSAFS2022), organized by UPM Bintulu Sarawak Campus (UPMKB) and the Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture and Regional Development Sarawak (MANRED).

First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone in this hall for attending the Opening Ceremony of The Congress on Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security (COSAFS2022).

My sincere appreciation and gratitude to the organizing committee from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture and Regional Development Sarawak (MANRED) as well all the distinguished guests, respective state agencies, media and COSAFS2022 institutional partners who made this event to fruition today.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM (COSAFS2022 & UPMKB)

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Compliments must be given to the organizers of COSAFS2022 that have successfully brought together the related entities, such as agricultural agencies, researchers, and academicians from within and outside Sarawak. Through this event, the participants can engage with one another via presentations and discussions on topics of interest within the areas of Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security.

COSAFS2022 provides a platform to discuss issues related to sustainable farming techniques, innovation and technology, community food systems, and national and global food policies. In addition, a round table discussion by prominent experts from the distinguished entity will also be organized to further benefit our agricultural ecosystem. I genuinely hope that these discussions' outcomes will catalyse in providing inputs to the key players and policymakers further to improve our sustainable agriculture and food security systems.

I sincerely hope that this congress's findings and ideas can contribute to the body of knowledge for agricultural industries.

parallel with the focus of UPM as a research university. Sarawak government, through MANRED, is committed to Sarawak becoming a net food exporter by 2030. Given the vast land, expertise capacity, and affordable electricity, I genuinely believe that this intention can be achieved with flying colours.

Universiti Putra Malaysia Bintulu Sarawak Campus play an essential role as the research hub for conducting research and programs related to knowledge transfer in Sarawak’s forestry and agriculture industries. Modern technologies and approaches must be developed to encourage the young generation to pursue careers in food production and agriculture. In addition, the younger generation holds a vital role in the future security of the state’s food supply chain because they are more technologically savvy and can use the latest technology to benefit from smart agriculture.

SARAWAK GOVERNMENT

The past two years have been difficult for everyone as the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic caused a health crisis and business disruption, extending to food security.

However, I believe Sarawak will recover from the pandemic to build a sustainable and resilient economy by implementing our very own Post COVID-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS2030).

In addressing the issues related to sustainable agriculture and food security, the PCDS2030 is aligned with national and global blueprints. It recognises that innovation and efficient technology transfer could overcome the current problems and has the potential to provide new opportunities to benefit the agriculture sectors.

Today, I am also pleased to introduce AgriHub@Gedong, an agricultural transformation project lead by UPMKB. The project acts as the bridge to empower rural development in Gedong, specifically for paddy cultivation. It is a strategy for farmers and food producers, to enter the market with improved agricultural techniques and technologies.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Sarawak government is serious about taking care of the welfare of the people of Sarawak. I believe that with perseverance and our Anak Sarawak spirit among our young generation, we can and will achieve our dreams of being a fully developed State by 2030.

Finally, I must express my appreciation to Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Haslina Abdul Hamid, Secretary-General, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries, the Chairmen of COSAFS2022, respective Ministries and Government agencies, as well as committee members who have worked very hard and contributed to this event.

With this remark, I am pleased to officially launch The Congress on Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security (COSAFS2022). I wish everyone the best.

Thank you.