KOTA SAMARAHAN: Sarawak has the potential to become a strategic hub for producing high-value products derived from its rich natural resources, particularly through the development of biotechnology and biodiversity-based industries.
Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said the establishment of the Sarawak Bioindustrial Park (SBP) would provide a platform to translate research on the state’s vast biodiversity into commercially viable products for the international market.
“Research can be taken, can be done in Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC), and then out of the outcome of the research, it must be applicable, applied to industrial.
“And this park should be the park that concentrate on the application of the technology that we got from our Sarawak Biodiversity Centre and produce it for the international market.
“With that background of market, I think Sarawak can really become a very strategic hub for us to produce Sarawak product that is based on our natural resource,” he said.
He said this in his speech during the Foundation Laying and Exchange of Agreements ceremony for SBP in Kota Samarahan here today (Aug 13).
He said the state’s abundant natural resources must be complemented by strong technology and scientific research to unlock their full economic potential.
“Research is very important educational process for us to explore our own resources at the same time for us to add value to our resources,” he said.
The Premier also highlighted the growing global biotechnology market, saying Sarawak had ample room to contribute to the sector given its extensive biodiversity resources.
“Based on ‘Fortune Business Insights’, the global biotechnology market is projected to grow from USD1.5 trillion in 2026 to USD4.3 trillion by 2034.
“In other words, there is ample space for us to contribute to this process in the growth of biotechnology,” he said citing ‘Fortune Business Insights’.
Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, Abang Johari said the projected market growth reflected increasing demand for health and other bio-based products, which Sarawak could tap by leveraging its vast biodiversity resources.
“There is an increase in demand in the market for healthy products, and we have the reservoir of biodiversity resources. So what we can do is contribute a bit through our Bioindustrial Park so that investors will come.
“SBC has a lot of products to be commercialised, to be traded, as a business in bio-products,” he said.
He said Sarawak did not need to capture a large share of the global biotechnology market to benefit from the sector.
“Just a slight pie is enough,” he said.
