Although only established four years prior, the Department of Veterinary Services Sarawak (DVS Sarawak) is committed in achieving the self-sufficiency level (SSL) Sarawak needs to become a net food exporter by 2030.
This comes as the State is progressing towards an agricultural sector that is technologically driven and sustainable in order to ensure food security and safety and create wealth for the local agro-based community.
“State’s food self-sufficiency level is expected to increase for beef from 10 per cent to 50 per cent and poultry from 95 per cent to 150 per cent,” said Deputy Chief Minister YB Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas in his speech read by Director of DVS Sarawak Dr. Adrian Susin Ambud during the department’s appreciation and excellence services awards ceremony in Kuching on 11 December 2021.
The minister, who is also Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development, noted that Sarawak is targeting an increase in its livestock production value – from RM1,865 million in 2020 to RM4,707 million in 2030.
It also aims to boost net export from RM281 million in 2020 to RM824 million in 2025 and further upwards to RM2,244 million in 2030.
Other targets to achieve by 2030 in terms of livestock production and commodities as stated by the Deputy Chief Minister are:
- Export from the swine sector to increase to RM1,120 million
- Export of edible bird nest to increase to RM1,070 million
- Export from the poultry sector to increase to RM51 million
- Beef production to increase from 533 mt to 4,525 mt
- Agro-based household income to increase to at least RM6,000/month
- Improved product sustainability through quality assurance programmes (incl. Veterinary Health Mark (VHM); Good Animal Husbandry Practices (GAHP); Malaysia Good Agricultural Practices (myGAP); and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP))
- Greater use of traceability technology such as block-chain technology and radio-frequency identification (RFID)
DVS Sarawak’s Appreciation and Excellence Service Awards is an annual event organised by the department to recognise its staff members’ performance and role in ensuring a livestock sector capable of fulfilling various roles, including production, animal health and veterinary public health.
