KUCHING, June 29 — Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas today said that the state government will engage the private sector in coming up with post-Covid-19 social economic policy and hopes to boost food production export.

He said the engagement is also to determine the scope of cooperation between the state government and the private sector.

"We will consult the private sector in pre-formulating this policy,” Uggah told reporters when visiting the Thian Yien Enterprise Sdn Bhd, a local company specialising in the production of different kinds of sauces and restaurant food products.

The company exports its sauces mostly to South-east Asian countries and Hong Kong.

Uggah, who is also the Minister of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development, said the state government would help local companies to penetrate more international markets.

He said this was to bring to fruition the vision of Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg for the state to be a net exporter of food and food products by the year 2030.

"When we can produce more food, including for export, we can reduce our future import deficit which in 2018 stood at RM3.6 billion,” he said adding that one of the big issues involved in boosting food production for export was deciding on the products which the state could produce.

"But we have big potential with the plenty of lands we have.

"We also enjoy this reputation for producing healthy food,” he said, adding that one of the potentials for the state was in the inland fishery.

He noted that the Thian Yen Enterprise had expressed its interest in crawfish rearing for export.

"We are working on how we can accommodate this interest for a win-win situation,” he added.

The company managing director Pooh Chee Ngee brought Uggah, who was accompanied by his ministry’s Permanent Secretary Edwin Abit and the state Agriculture Department director Dr Alvin Chai, for a tour of the company’s production activities.