FarmByte and Sarawak Incorporated Collaborate to Enhance Food Security
JOHOR BAHRU, 24 JUNE 2024: FarmByte, a digital-first agrofood company under the Johor Corporation (JCorp) Group, has today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sarawak Incorporated Sdn Bhd (SISB).
Witnessed by Yang Berbahagia Datuk Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim President & Chief Executive Of Johor Corporation and sealed by Syed Aiman Kifli Syed Jaafar, CEO of FarmByte Sdn Bhd, and Wan Abu Bakar Wan Hamid CEO, Sarawak Incorporated Sdn Bhd, the MoU formalises the partnership between both parties to pool their agrofood expertise and resources to explore innovative opportunities that can further enhance the local production of key agrofood products in the country.
In particular, this joint collaboration will focus on establishing two projects – Pineapple Cultivation and Modern Vegetable Farming – in Sarawak. FarmByte will provide digital-first and modern farming expertise, especially in the production of pineapples, and insights on exporting local produce to the international market, while SISB will provide resources and insights of the local Sarawak agrofood scene.
The partnership, which builds on JCorp’s trade mission to Sarawak in April 2024 to foster potential collaborations, will also involve FarmByte and SISB facilitating a full suite of services from farm to fork including technical and feasibility studies, processing, packaging, distribution and marketing and branding.
According to Syed Aiman, this partnership aligns with FarmByte’s vision of securing Malaysia’s future of food while empowering farmers and uplifting communities.
He shared, “A whole-of-society approach is important in our efforts to enhance food security in the country. As part of this, we recognise the need to collaborate with like-minded industry players like SISB as this will allow us to learn and explore new ways of producing high-quality and high-value food, and vice versa.
“We’re thrilled to embark on this partnership with SISB. Their focus on transforming the agrofood sector to not only ensure food security and cement the sector’s economic contribution to the country, but to also uplift the socio-economic status of the local population in Sarawak by creating higher-value jobs in agrofood and seeking out export opportunities for our local produce is very much in line with FarmByte’s priorities.
“We look forward to sharing our digital-first approach to modernising the agrofood sector with SISB and finding better ways that will allow us to become more self-sufficient in the production of food,” said Syed Aiman.
Recognised as a high-income state by the World Bank in 2023, Sarawak has since emerged as the new “economic powerhouse” in Malaysia, with the local government focused on elevating and industrialising the agrofood sector as part of its strategy to transform Sarawak into a competitive and resilient economy.
“The MoU with FarmByte underscores our commitment to the agrofood sector and food security in Sarawak, and is key to our integrated development of a Commercial Pineapple Estate and establishment of a processing plant in Sri Aman Division,” said Wan Abu Bakar.
He added, “FarmByte’s way of transforming the agrofood sector through a digital-first approach and leveraging technology appeals to us especially as we are increasing our efforts to expand food production areas to ensure food security as well as to elevate the livelihoods of our local population and attract the younger generation of farmers and agropreneurs to be part of the agrofood sector.
“We are excited to be joining hands with FarmByte and learn from their team of digital experts on the different innovative ways we can bring food to our tables.”
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About FarmByte Sdn Bhd
FarmByte is pioneering a new innovative era in Malaysia’s agrofood industry. A JCorp company, FarmByte leverages technology to provide transparent end-to-end solutions to players in its agrofood ecosystem – the FarmByte Food Hub – to enhance national food security, production efficiency and product quality.
Driven by a commitment to enhance food production and uplift communities, the company works together with trusted partners throughout the value chain – from farmers and processors to distributors and retailers – to create greater business and economic opportunities for the entire farm-to-fork ecosystem.
About Sarawak Incorporated Sdn Bhd
Sarawak Incorporated Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned company of the Government of Sarawak, under the State Financial Secretary of Sarawak. It’s core activities span several key sectors, including investment and property holdings, property development and facility management, environmental services such as waste and sewerage management, and agribusiness focused on food security.
For further information and requests for interviews and images, please contact:
Nurliyana Latip
FarmByte Sdn Bhd
[email protected]
+6016 322 1405
