CLOSING AND AWARD CEREMONY OF AGRITECH 2022 BY AMS OSRAM
SPEECH BY YAB TUAN CHOW KON YEOW
THE CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG
CLOSING AND AWARD CEREMONY OF
AGRITECH 2022 BY AMS OSRAM
08TH DECEMBER 2022
A very good afternoon to all.
It gives me great pleasure to be here today for the Closing and Award Ceremony of AgriTech 2022 by ams OSRAM.
This year, 2022, marks the 50th anniversary of the birth of the electronics industry in Penang. This is an extremely special occasion as the arrival of eight samurais 50 years ago launched Penang on its’ industrialization journey.
For the sake of our young students here, I must clarify that these are not real samurais wielding swords, but rather electronics companies that came to set up their manufacturing operations in Malaysia’s first Free Trade Zone at Bayan Lepas in 1972.
50 years later, Penang is now the most industrialized state in Malaysia. Every year, Penang attracts the lion's share of foreign direct investments from companies eager to establish or expand their operations here to benefit from our strong ecosystem of suppliers and talented workforce.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
While Penang has thrived throughout our journey of industrialization, other aspects of our economy, such as agriculture, must not be overlooked. Agriculture accounts for more than a third of Penang's total land area but unfortunately, it only contributes about 2% to our GDP. As a result, it is becoming increasingly important for us to raise that figure.
We need to encourage investment for R&D and talent development in the agricultural sector, as well as promote Agriculture 4.0 through the use of digital technologies for sustainable modern agriculture in our state.
This is as outlined in my Penang2030 vision of "A Family-Focused Green and Smart State that Inspires the Nation", where one of the strategic initiatives identified is to “modernise and diversify sustainable agriculture”. This initiative seeks to establish Penang as a high-tech Green Valley by advancing the agriculture value chain, leveraging technology, and encouraging urban farming.
In the same vein, the Penang State Government recently tabled the Penang State 2023 Budget, which includes RM 6.92 million for the State Agriculture Department, RM2.63 million for a one-off assistance payment of RM500.00 per person to the state's 5,262 farmers, and RM 4.5 million for the Department of Veterinary Services Penang. All of these are intended to accelerate the advancement of the agricultural industry in the state.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am therefore delighted to be here today for AgriTech 2022, a programme supported by ams Osram and coordinated by the Penang Science Cluster (PSC). This pilot programme by Osram have benefitted 4 primary and 4 secondary schools by providing students with the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of agriculture and how to use LED technology to grow crops in a customised box. This is excellent news because Penang requires more of you, our future innovators and modern farmers.
In light of this, I would like to record my sincere appreciation to ams Osram for sponsoring AgriTech and encouraging your team to volunteer as mentors to our participating schools. These mentors are helping Penang State Government to inspire our young students in agriculture, science, technology and innovation. For that, I thank you.
I would also like to thank the teachers for your hard work in coaching your students during this 6-months long programme. Teachers, more than anyone else, shape our future generation of citizens. So, teachers, if there is anything we can do to further assist your students, please let us know through Penang Science Cluster.
Last but not least, I would like to thank all students for their involvement, and Penang Science Cluster for partnering with ams Osram to bring this fascinating AgriTech program to our students in Penang.
With that, thank you all.