Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said its ministry will bridge rural-urban income gap.
Uggah who is also Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development Minister said his ministry will raise rural incomes to reduce poverty and to bridge the present rural-urban income gap.
According to him poverty levels in Sarawak have declined from 2.4% in 2012 to 0.9% in 2014 and further down to 0.6% in 2016, he said in his winding-up speech.
On household income, he said based on the Household Income and Basic Amenities Survey Report 2016, the average income in 2016 was RM5,387, an increase of 4.4% compared to RM4,934 in 2014.
However, while rural income data showed a faster growth rate, the average income for rural households in 2016 was only 44% that of urban incomes.
“This gap is still quite significant, and we will continue to intensify our efforts to close it,” he said.
