AI-Powered Farming Takes Root at Sarawak Agrofest 2026
BINTULU, 28 September 2026: Artificial intelligence (AI), precision agriculture and circular-economy solutions are taking centre stage at Sarawak Agrofest 2026 as the Sarawak Metropolitan Food Cluster (SMFC) Consortium showcases the technology behind Sarawak’s first Metropolitan Food Cluster (MFC) in Opar, Lundu.
Located at Stungkor, Opar, the 84-hectare MFC Opar is being developed as an integrated food-production hub bringing together modern agriculture, processing, technology, logistics and supporting facilities. The project is being developed through a public-private partnership between SMFC Consortium and the Sarawak Land Development Board (SLDB) under the Ministry of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development (M-FICORD), with completion targeted for 2027.
The showcase gives visitors a glimpse into how technology could reshape the way food is produced, including controlled-environment agriculture, data-driven cultivation and “Plant Empowerment”, which uses environmental data such as humidity, temperature and substrate conditions to optimise plant growth.
According to SMFC, the AI-powered technology, developed through Dutch and Sarawakian expertise, has the potential to reduce operational costs by up to 25 per cent while increasing crop yields by up to 20 per cent. The consortium said the aim is not simply to introduce technology into farms, but to connect production, data, infrastructure and processing into one integrated ecosystem.
The project also places emphasis on the circular economy through its “Upcycling Agri-Waste into Agri-Wealth” concept, which explores how agricultural by-products can be turned into useful inputs, including livestock feed applications such as RumiBase, RumiBoost and RumiGrow.
With MFC Opar currently progressing ahead of schedule, SMFC said the development is intended to strengthen Sarawak’s food supply chain while creating opportunities in technology transfer, skilled employment, entrepreneurship and modern agribusiness.
The MFC Opar showcase is being held in conjunction with Sarawak Agrofest 2026, themed “Innovating Agriculture for Food Security”, at the Old Bintulu Airport from Sept 25 to Oct 4.
