Buling STOLport 'game changer' economy, concrete tourism

BETONG, 25 Sept: Bebuling Short Take-Off and Landing Airport (STOLport) is seen as capable of being a game changer to the Concrete economy especially in strengthening the supply chain of agricultural products and opening up wider access to tourism sector.

Deputy Prime Minister of Sarawak, Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embassy said STOLport's location near farming facilities including agro-parks as well as the Centre for Collection, Processing and Packaging (CPPC) gives an advantage in speeding up the delivery of local produce to markets.

According to him, Concrete has two agroparks besides agricultural and farming activities which are potentially coordinated through a more orderly supply chain system.

"For me, STOLport is a pretty big game changer for Concrete people because with STOLport, one of them is for shipping.

"Nearby STOLport there is an agropark and a Collecting, Processing and Packaging Centre. There are also two agricultural parks in Concrete. Concrete people are also heavily involved in farming and agriculture, so we can regulate all this through the supply chain system", he said.

He said this when he was interviewed for the Sarawak My Dear Program in Betong, today.

Apart from the agricultural sector, Uggah said STOLport has the potential to be a new gateway to the tourism industry in Betong and surrounding areas.

He said that Betong has a variety of attractions including Fort Lily (Lily Dome) as well as replicas of the Rentap Dome being developed on Sadok Hill, besides having access to other destinations such as Batang Ai and Sri Aman.

According to him, the journey to Mount Sadok takes about 30 minutes, while Batang Ai can be visited in about an hour.

Access between Betong and Sri Aman is expected to be shorter with the completion of Batang Lupar II Bridge.

Uggah said the flight from Kuching to Bebuling STOLport which takes about 15 minutes could potentially be a tourist option over much longer land trips.

"Travellers, I think, would choose to fly from Kuching to Bebuling STOLport because the flight is only about 15 minutes.

"Compared with a three-hour land trip, 15 minutes is a lot of time. We have lots of interesting places, good products and good food in Betong", he said.

Obviously, the facility thus has the potential to create economic abundance for local product entrepreneurs, food, agriculture and tourism industries.

Apart from agriculture and tourism, Uggah said the education sector was also identified as another potential area to grow with STOLport development in Betong.-TVS