| Sarikei - A Transit Town To An Agriculture Growth Centre |
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By Amrizan Madian
SARIKEI, Feb 26 (Bernama) -- Travelling to Sarikei which is 356km from Kuching is indeed very tiring, especially if one is driving.
But for those who love driving through lush forest area and feeling the cool breeze on your faces, the five hour drive can be most exciting and exhilarating.
Located midway between Jalan Trans-Borneo and Sungai Rajang, Sarikei is a town with a hive of activity for it is not only a tourist destination, especially for those wanting to get away from the hustle bustle of city life for a quiet and blissful retreat, but is also a stopover for those bound elsewhere.
Also known as "Pekan Nanas", with a 3.6m replica of the fruit bearing testimony to it being a pineapple town, Sarikei is now easily accessible by road, albeit meandering through thick forests and oil palm plantations.
Sarikei is among the four sub-districts in the Sarikei division, covering 4,332.4 square kilometres with a population of about 130,000, comprising Iban, Melanau, Malays and Chinese.
The other sub-districts are Meradong, Julau and Pakan.
Also known as the "food basket" for the Land of the Hornbills, Sarikei started as a small village comprising the "Segalang" community and a few rows of Chinese shophouses.
From a dead town, the once isolated and remote Sarikei has progressed and the people now enjoy infrastructural facilities and economic opportunities.
Its district council chairman, Simon Cham Kam Wuai, said visitors began arriving in Sarikei after the road from Kuching was completed last year.
He said most of the foreign tourists were from Australia, Japan, Taiwan, China, Singapore and Europe.
Since the last 20 years, he said Sarikei had become a popular destination for tourists, especially those seeking for cheap agricultural products.
"The price of agriculture products in Sarikei is much cheaper than in other towns in Sarawak, " he added.
He said Sarikei was known for its agricultural produce like vegetables, fruits, sea food and also places of attraction like the Sebangkoi Forest Park which was opened in 1982.
The forest park, covering 32 hectares, was developed at a cost of RM2 million.
It provides a suitable place to hold seminars as the place has a hostel, canteen and facilities for seminar.
Cham said the council planned to plant about 400 species of tropical trees in the park under the Ninth Malaysia Plan besides developing the Sungai Sarikei and Sungai Nyelong river banks for tourism purposes.
"We plan to have Star Walk, Moon Walk and Sun Walk along the rivers," he said, adding that the project would cost about RM1 million.
He said the council also provided opportunities for local residents to carry out petty trading by providing stalls, including foodstalls, at Medan Selera Baji Jaya.
The temenggong of Sarikei, Abdul Rani Suhaili, said that the transport facilities available in the area had prompted farmers to carry out commercial farming because they could market their produce without much hassle.
He hoped that more investors would come to Sarikei to carry out agricultural projects to take advantage of the vast lands available.
He said the people in Sarikei were able to enjoy the benefits of development with the construction of schools, government offices and a new hospital costing RM250 million.
"This is the benefit we get if we support the government. Besides enjoying the peace, we also get to improve our livelihood," he added.
"For those planning a holiday, Sarikei is the best place. There is no traffic congestion. The place is peaceful and food is cheap," said Abdul Latiff Tamang, 50, a resident of Sarikei.
-- BERNAMA
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