Following the implementation of the drainage scheme and completion of tar-sealed roads serving most villagers, the people in Asajaya now enjoy a higher standard of living, writes BUJANG MANAN.
AGRICULTURE
remains an important sector in the development of Asajaya and its improvement in
recent years is attributed to the extensive irrigation and drainage system that
the Government has introduced to make the vast tracts of land both arable and
accessible. The Asajaya Drainange Scheme (ADS), considered to be the catalyst
for the implementation of major agricultural programmes in the area, was
completed in 1988. It’s one of the first and biggest ever implemented by the
Drainage & Irrigation Department
Covering
an area of 18,143 hectares at Asajaya Peninsula between Batang Samarahan and
Batang Sadong, the The ADS project
is divided into four blocks, covering seven main rivers, namely, Batang
Samarahan, Sungai Moyan, Sungai Asajaya, Sungai Sampun, Sungai Semera, Sungai
Jemukan and Batang Sadong. The implementation of the ADS involved the
restoration of rivers, streams, river diversions and sluices. ADS can be
regarded as the catalyst of agricultural development in Asajaya, because the
RM106.5 million project has improved the drainage system in the area and in turn
helped to regulate the flow of water
in the schemes using watergate, bund and proper drains. With bunds built along
the coastal areas, a lot of land has been reclaimed, thereby solving the problem
of insufficient land for agriculture.
With
ADS, Asajaya’s land is now one of the most fertile in Sarawak, intensively
developed and has various types of plantation.
According to the statistics issued by the Drainage & Irrigation
Department, out of an area of
l3,853 heactares, 10,158 heactares have been planted with cocoa and coconut,
padi (1,919 hectares), oil palm (1,000 hectares), pineapple (479 hectares),
maize (120 hectares), watermelon (100 hectares) and starfruit
(77 hectares).
There
is no doubting that the Asajaya community has benefited immensely from the ADS.
Samarahan DID engineer, Normahyusni Mohd Anuar says: “The ADS has
benefited 25,000 farmers involved in cocoa, coconut and orange plantations in 21
villages, and The average income of Asajaya
residents has risen by two folds as reported by the Asian Development Bank.
Farmers
Bakar Inchi Draman, 51, and Ghani Awi, 51, both from Kpg Moyan Laut,
are among the thousands who have benefited from the Scheme. They planted
mainly coconuts with the rest of their land being set aside for the cultivation
of cocoa.
Many
of the scheme participants have used their earnings as capital to start other
small businesses in view of the fluctuating prices of coconuts.
Bakar, for instance, is now raising 5,000 quails, a business which he
started in l989. He now earns more than $3,000 a month. Besides, he has a lorry
to transport his young coconuts to Kuching town. Ghani, on the other hand, rears
livestock and has ponds for clearwater fish, from which gets between RM2,000 to
RM4,000 every two months.
To
protect the interest of local farmers and stabilise prices of coconuts,
Ghani points out: “I wish to propose that the Government reduces the
number of permits for coconuts imported from Indonesia because they have
affected the price of local coconuts. Also, sugarcane plantations should be
increased in Asajaya as our land is suitable. There should also be a sugar
factory built here.”
Agriculture Assistant in Asajaya Gobil Hj. Bujang agrees to the proposal and hopes that some remedial action would be taken to reduce the number of such permits in order to protect the price of local coconuts. Gobil, however, points out said that a lot of development plans had been incorporated under the Eighth Malaysia Plan, one of which is to increase the subsidy for coconut plantations.
For the first year under 8MP, Asajaya is expected to
be allocated with 200 hectares for coconut replanting scheme.
Another 400 hectares will also be involved for assisted coconut
replanting project. At present,
about 3,412 hectares in Asajaya and Sambir have been planted with coconuts,
making Asajaya the main coconut producer in Sarawak.
The Agriculture Department will also set up six coconut collection
centres to facilitate the selling of the fruits. Some 275 hectares have also be
earmarked for cocoa plantation
Asajaya today enjoys good infrastructure which augurs well for the introduction of more development projects. Most farmers are pleased that the existence of a good network of roads facility has helped to improve their business: they can source the feeds for their livestock easily and sell their produce to the town much faster. Also, with good roads, more people from as far as Kuching are coming in to buy their produce at roadside stalls.
The Iban community at Kpg Sampun Kelidi are also pleased that with good roads and easy accessibility to their village, they are able to sell their produce like fruits, vegetables and other jungle produce just by the roadside. Penghulu Sampai ak Mindun says the local Ibans, who are still dependent on agriculture, have the opportunity to supplement their livelihood by selling produce at the roadside, and suggests for assistance from the relevant authorities for proper stalls to be set up.
Meanwhile,
the 30 stalls erected by The Samarahan District Council (SDC) at Kampung Melayu
have seen brisk business. we found that the 30 stalls built in May last year a
really strategically located. One of the stall owners Bajah Daud, 40, is happy
with her business out selling cempedak, jackfruits and vegetables and is equally
grateful that she does not have to pay any rental.
"My
stall opens at 7.30am and closes at 6pm. The biggest crowds are on Friday,
Saturday and Sunday," she says.
Talhah Johari, 33, earns RM80 per day, selling lemidin (wild fern eaten
as vegetable) which she collects from Ulu Empila.
Business
at Pekan Asajaya has also been picking up well of late. Pemanca Lai Seng Leong,
says emphatically: "We are doing very well since the availability of the
road,".
Quail
breeder, Bakar, agrees with Lai. “ I can afford to obtain much faster the feed
for myquails and also sell their eggs and meat to places like Choice Food
Supermall, cold storage at SEDC in Kuching”, he quips. He gets about RM12 per
kilogram for the quails' meat and RM1.60 for every 20 of their eggs. Bakar, who
began raising quails in 1989, now has 5,000 birds and earns about RM3000 per
month. He uses his own lorry to transport quail meat and eggs as well as
coconuts to his big-time buyers.
Livestock
breeder, Ghani Awi, 51 of the same village also acknowledges that the road has
made his life easier. He now can transport his chicken faster to Sarabif. Ghani,
who earns between RM2000 to RM4000 every two months, is gratiteful to the
Government for the compensation paid to him when his land was taken for road
construction. He adds with the road, price of the nearby land has also risen
considerably.
Like
other developing areas, Asajaya is also enjoying the basic facilities.
Based on the Samarahan District record, as at 1998, 18 out of 23 villages
in Asajaya are provided with water
supply by the Public Works Department and almost all villages have electricity
supply. As for telephone service,
21 villages have been provided with telephones by Telekom Malaysia.
In
terms of educational institutions, Asajaya now has 16 primary schools, one
secondary school, and five KEMAS kindergartens. The Muslims also take pride in
the fact that 11 mosques, including Masjid An Najah, have been built in Asajaya.
There are several suraus, temples and churches.
The
government has also built 15 community halls in 15 villages
and provided recreational
facilities like football fields, sepak takraw courts, badminton courts and
basketball courts for the youths. At present, construction of theAsajaya Mini
Stadium is still in progress.
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