KUCHING, MALAYSIA - Organic farming is still in its infancy in Sarawak with only one farm accredited under the Department of Agriculture's Malaysian Organic Scheme to date.

The department's Sarawak senior research officer Kadin Empari said three more farms were currently undergoing verification to be certified as organic under the scheme.

"One of these farms should be ready for certification by the end of the year. At the moment, we only have one certified organic farm - N&N Farm Sdn Bhd in Siburan here," he said.

He added that three other farms had withdrawn their application due to lower-than-expected yield.

"Organic farming is still in a very early stage here. For N&N Farm, their production is not big because it's not a very big farm and they don't have many workers, and their products are sold directly to clients rather than to supermarkets," he said when giving a talk on organic farming at Kompleks Azam here yesterday.

He said greater public awareness on the benefits of organic product would help increase demand.

"The future is bright for organic farming if people are more health-conscious," he said.

Kadin also said those interested in venturing into organic farming could apply to the department for assistance.

"They must have the interest, the land and the workers needed for organic farming," he said.

--The Star/ANN