Dr Rundi (centre), Mohd Uzir (second right), Martin (second left) and others pose with the Sarawak-level Agriculture Census Interim Report 2024 book. – Photo by Roystein Emmor
KUCHING (July 9): The ageing workforce in Sarawak’s agriculture sector must be urgently addressed by increasing youth participation, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) Sarawak.
In a statement issued in conjunction with the launch of the Sarawak-level Agriculture Census Interim Report 2024 today, the department said the findings from the census underscored the need to strengthen the support ecosystem for farmers, especially in areas such as skills training, technology transfer and productivity enhancement.
“This situation also calls for the implementation of comprehensive and integrated policies in line with the National Agrofood Policy 2.0 (NAP 2.0), which emphasises food security, sustainability and competitiveness in the agrofood sector,” DOSM said.
The report was launched by State Minister for Food Industry, Commodity, and Regional Development Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom.
DOSM Sarawak reported that a total of 147,414 agricultural holdings were recorded in the state as of 2023, with 98.6 per cent (145,378 holdings) individually owned and 1.4 per cent (2,036 holdings) held by organisations.
Nearly all the individuals involved in agriculture (99.9 per cent) were Malaysian citizens, and 80 per cent were male.
In terms of age distribution, 43.6 per cent of individual holdings were owned by those aged 60 and above, while 37.3 per cent were owned by individuals aged 46 to 59, further illustrating the sector’s ageing demographic.
Meanwhile, the report reaffirmed that oil palm remains Sarawak’s dominant commodity, contributing 79 per cent to the total value of the state’s agriculture sector.
At the national level, oil palm generated RM83.30 billion in sales in 2023, with Sarawak accounting for RM18.61 billion or 22.3 per cent of the national total.
Also present were DOSM chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin, who is also the 2024 Agriculture Census commissioner, and State Deputy Minister of Food Industry, Commodity, and Regional Development, Datuk Martin Ben.
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