Page 264 - The Guide To Sarawak

262 AGRICULTURE
LIVESTOCK FARMING
The hot and humid
climate of Sarawak poses challenges to commercial livestock farming in the State. Nevertheless, the
pig and poultry sectors
are modern, commercial
and vibrant sectors of the livestock industry capable of supplying the needs of the State for pork and poultry products.
Poultry
Poultry farming is the mainstay of Sarawak’s livestock industry. Poultry, consumed by Malaysians of all races and religions, is the cheapest and most easily available meat in Sarawak. Broiler and layer poultry are reared in large commercial farms using the latest breeds and implementing good farming practices. Many farmers are now changing to the closed- house system.
Rearing kampung chickens (free range birds of traditional breeds offering superior flavour) is also a popular farming activity,
and methods used have gradually changed from a 100% free-range system to low-intensity commercial farming using improved cross-breeds.
Pork
Pig farming is a thriving and modern industry due to the large non-Muslim population. To restructure the sector and address
environmental
issues, an integrated
pig farming area
to cater for about
250,000 pigs has
been established
in Simunjan in
Samarahan Division
to supply pork
for the domestic
market and for
export. Its main
feature is a central
waste management system, with an abattoir fully supervised by the Department of Agriculture.
Ruminant
Goats are mainly farmed
on a small small scale in the rural areas, although there are a number of bigger farms in the semi-urban areas, particularly in Sibu Division. Cattle farming, formerly a smallholder enterprise, is growing through integration with oil palm estates. This is a result of State Government efforts to increase beef production, reduce over-dependence on imported beef and take advantage of the vast area under oil palm. Oil palm
Integrated cattle grazing. Beef cattle are used to control weeds and provide manure on oil palm plantations throughout Sarawak.
estates with integrated cattle grazing are located in Miri, Bintulu, Betong, Samarahan and Kuching Divisions.
Beekeeping
Acacia, widely planted as a cash crop and a cover tree for forest rehabilitation, produces honey of excellent quality. Two bee farms specialize in the production of acacia honey; Summer Pacific Sdn Bhd produces organic halal acacia honey using over 1 billion bees in the Bintulu-Tatau area, while Sarawak Forestry runs a smaller operation in the Balai Ringin area between Kuching and Sri Aman.
A smallholder with her herd of goats. Goat meat is very popular in Sarawak, and the demand for goat milk is growing.
There are also many small-scale apiarists in the Padawan and Penrissen areas of southwest Sarawak and the Samarakan Planted Forest area near Bintulu, and artisan-produced honey is widely available at farmers markets and wet markets.