RM40-million food processing hub in Paku on the cards

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Adun Serembu, Miro Simuh. Photo: Ghazali Bujang

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KUCHING: Plans are being drawn up to establish a RM40-million food processing hub in Paku, Bau.

Serembu assemblyman Miro Simuh said the hub aims to boost the local economy by processing agricultural products and creating value-added food items. 

To be funded by state government through the Greater Kuching Coordinated Development Agency (GKCDA), he said the hub will focus on enhancing the resilience of the agro-food sector and improving livelihoods for farmers and the community. 

“This hub will be located on a 55-acre state land in Paku, which is between the Nirvana Memorial Park and the Rock Maze Garden.

“The location is crucial and strategic due to its proximity to raw material sources (farms) in Bau, distribution networks, and transportation hubs,” he said. 

Miro said the state government will build and provide all the necessary infrastructures for industries to operate in.

He said so far four investors had stepped forward to invest millions of ringgit in the hub.

“The biggest investment will come from a feed mill processing company, which is expected to invest RM100 million in the hub.

“Others include a pineapple processing company, cassava or tapioca processing company and cattle meat processing company, he said.

Miro said the feed mill, which will manufacture animal feed on a large scale, is going to play a crucial role in the food production chain, ensuring a consistent and reliable supply of feed for livestock and poultry.

As for the pineapple processing plant, he said the factory is going to convert fresh pineapples into various products like juice and canned slices, to name a few.

He said the cassava processing plant will handle the transformation of cassava roots into various products including starch and flour. 

“As for the cattle meat processing, it’s going to be a secondary processing facility, which focuses on cutting, grinding, and packaging process,” he said.

Miro said the hub is one the high economic impact projects that he had planned for his constituency under the GKCDA fund, which will offer several benefits to the local economy, including increased market access for farmers, job creation, and economic diversification. 

He believed that the hub in Paku, if fully utilised or filled up, will create at least 3,000 jobs for the people.

“If fully taken up, this hub will generate employment opportunities in various aspects of the food system, from farming to processing and distribution. 

“By supporting local farmers and businesses, this food hub is going to contribute to the overall economic vitality of not just Serembu and Bau, but Kuching as a whole. 

“Through this kind of project, I believe many families could be fed,” he said.

Miro said the hub in Paku will focus on processing raw ingredients into higher-value products, potentially with international appeal. 

He believed that the hub can establish a good quality downstream local brand for consumers to choose locally produced food. 

“We are trying to bring in more investors, one at a time, to invest in this hub.

“The design of the proposed park has been done. Now, we are waiting for final approval from the relevant authority.

“We have targeted it to take off later this year or early next year,” he said.

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