He said Universiti Putra Malaysia Bintulu Campus (UPMKB) is one such varsity capable of producing graduates in the agricultural sector through the curriculum and support of the existing learning and teaching system.

“I, therefore, hope the UPM Bintulu Campus in Sarawak can be improved in terms of infrastructure to encourage and sustain students’ interest in agriculture,” said His Royal Highness at the 46th UPM convocation here yesterday.

The Ruler, who is UPM Chancellor, also expressed his confidence that as the country’s leading research university, UPM is able to also produce graduates who will make an impact on Malaysia’s development and the well-being of its people.

Sultan Sharafuddin commended the campus for having conducted a lot of strategic work for high-impact research with government agencies, especially the Sarawak government. He said among its achievements was the establishment of “Kursi Tok Nan” with an allocation of RM2.54mil to defend the unique identity and rich cultural heritage of Borneo’s indigenous people.

He said UPMKB had reached an agreement with the Sarawak Forest Department to set up a Sarawak Forest Research Hub with an allocation of RM10.95mil.

This includes a forest restoration project on a 47.5ha UPMKB land that will contribute significantly to forest management and research.

Other contributions include a padi transformation project called AgriHub or Gedong, which aims to increase rice productivity from two tonnes per hectare to 10 tonnes per hectare through five harvests every two years.

“This can be achieved through the use of soil improvement technology and smart farming with a research fund of RM3mil. It is hoped that this will turn Sarawak into a food producer with the help of UPM’s research findings.

“This achievement shows that UPM Bintulu Campus has been able to contribute knowledge and expertise towards the prosperity of the state,” said Sultan Sharafuddin, hoping that the success of the research could benefit the local community.

Sultan Sharafuddin said the role of UPM and its twin campus in Bintulu will be further strengthened by the establishment of the Veterinary Medicine Faculty.

Sultan Sharafuddin also believes that the implementation of the UPM Strategic Plan 2021-2025 has brought positive development to UPMKB. A total of 405 graduates received their PhDs, masters’ and bachelor’s degrees and diplomas at the first session of the convocation held at Dewan Sri Kenyalang.

Tarikh Input: 04/11/2022 | Kemaskini: 04/11/2022 | lanz