KUALA LUMPUR: The Selangor government has reaffirmed its commitment to bolstering the agricultural sector to ensure food security for the nation.
Selangor state executive councillor for investment, trade and mobility Ng Sze Han said as part of this initiative, the state government had officially marked the Sabak Bernam district as the nucleus for a brand-new economic hub, aptly named the Sabak Bernam Development Area (SABDA).
SABDA, set to revolutionise the agricultural landscape, would focus on the implementation of modern farming techniques and technologies, said Ng.
"One notable development within this framework is the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding during the Selangor International Business Summit (SIBS 2023) for the fisheries sector," he said.
In a remarkable achievement, Ng said SIBS 2023 witnessed a surge in participation for the food and beverage (F&B) sector, boasting more than 33 per cent of the total number of booths.
He said the F&B sector at SIBS 2023 hailed from both domestic and international shores. This eclectic mix included participants from countries such as China, Uganda and Indonesia.
"With the collaboration of these countries, we are not reliant on just one or two nations for our food supplies. Thus, with such cooperation, we can diversify our sources or supplies. This is a good start for us to advance the agriculture sector in our country.
"Through such collaboration, entrepreneurs or farmers in Malaysia can also share experiences in modern farming," he added.
Yet, the prevailing challenge that looms large is technology.
Ng said the urgent call to action was to ramp up the utilisation of state-of-the-art technology to mitigate these challenges effectively.
"We need to further expand modern farming because by using new technology, we can achieve higher agricultural yields. This is because (arable) land is limited in Selangor, coupled with challenges such as a shortage of labour and global climate change.
"Therefore, we need to increase the use of new technology to address challenges like these."
SIBS 2023 successfully attracted more than 56,000 visitors and achieved a nearly RM4.9 billion transaction value as of Sunday.
With an initial RM1.5 billion transaction value target for the year, Ng said SIBS 2023 had exceeded all expectations.
"As of Oct 21, the transaction count approached the impressive RM4 billion mark. We will set a higher target for next year and I believe that this is a positive sign of the economic growth in Selangor."
The four-day SIBS 2023, which took up eight exhibition halls and seven conference halls of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, featured 11 events and hosted more than 1,000 trade booths. It featured six core components and five events held in parallel with the main programmes.
The six main programmes were the 9th Selangor International Expo (F&B); 7th Selangor Asean Business Conference; 8th Selangor Smart City & Digital Economy Convention; 4th Selangor R&D and Innovation Expo; 9th Selangor International Expo; and 3rd Selangor Industrial Park Expo.
Moreover, SIBS 2023 was held in parallel with Selangor International Expo MEDIC (SIE Medic); Selangor International Culinary Festival; Selangor International Coffee Week; Malaysia International Tea & Coffee Expo; and Selangor International Business Summit Invitational Golf Tournament.
SIBS 2023 continues to be a platform for fostering business innovation and growth, and this year's record-breaking performance is a testament to the region's growing economic prowess.
For example, this year's SIE Medic has recorded around 20 per cent of the participating companies from overseas, showcasing the expo's growing importance for the industry.
Describing this as an encouraging figure, Selangor executive councilor for public health, environment, climate change, and green technology Jamaliah Jamaluddin hopes that more industry players will assist in developing the state's medical sector.
"The involvement of various industry players allows them to meet, learn, explore the latest technology, innovations, and current business trends in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, and healthcare services," she said.
SIE MEDIC 2023 is the third edition of the healthcare exhibition and conference that focuses on the development of the industry and will further bring together industry players under one roof towards greater business enhancement.
This exhibition and conference offer industry players to converge, interact, and explore the latest technology, innovation, and current business trend in the field of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical devices and healthcare services.