Partnership will see a joint effort to boost the local production of agrofood crops and uplift communities 

FarmByte, a Johor Corporation (JCorp) company, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sarawak Incorporated Sdn Bhd (SISB), witnessed by Datuk Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim, Encik Mohd Faris Adli Shukery, and Encik Soh Kien Khee, and signed by Syed Aiman Kifli Syed Jaafar, CEO of FarmByte Sdn Bhd, and Wan Abu Bakar Wan Hamid, CEO of Sarawak Incorporated Sdn Bhd.

FarmByte, a digital-first agrofood company under Johor Corporation (JCorp), has today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sarawak Incorporated Sdn Bhd (SISB) to boost local agrifood production and enhance food security. 

Witnessed by YBhg Datuk Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim, President & Chief Executive of Johor Corporation and sealed by Syed Aiman Kifli Syed Jaafar, CEO of FarmByte Sdn Bhd, and Wan Abu Bakar Wan Hamid CEO, Sarawak Incorporated Sdn Bhd, the MoU formalises a partnership aimed at pooling their agrofood expertise and resources to explore innovative opportunities for the production of key agrofood products in the country. 

This collaboration will focus on two primary projects: Pineapple Cultivation and Modern Vegetable Farming in Sarawak. FarmByte will provide its digital-first and modern farming expertise, especially in pineapple production, and provide insights on exporting local produce to the international market. SISB will leverage its resources and the local knowledge of the Sarawak agrofood scene. 

The partnership, which builds on JCorp’s trade mission to Sarawak in April 2024 to foster potential collaborations, will also involve FarmByte and SISB facilitating a full suite of services from farm to fork, including technical and feasibility studies, processing, packaging, distribution, and marketing as well as branding.

It aligns with JCorp’s broader mission to address the nation’s socioeconomic needs by enhancing food security, empowering local communities through fair trade and knowledge transfer, and investing in agricultural innovation and infrastructure development to foster economic growth and prosperity.

Syed Aiman emphasised, “A whole-of-society approach is important in our efforts to enhance food security in the country. Collaborating with like-minded industry players like SISB allows us to explore new ways of producing high-quality and high-value food. This partnership is in line with our vision of securing Malaysia’s future of food while empowering farmers and uplifting communities.”

He added, “We’re thrilled to embark on this partnership with SISB. Their commitment to transforming the agrofood sector to ensure food security, boost the sector’s economic contribution, and uplift the socio-economic status of the local population in Sarawak by creating higher-value jobs in agrofood and seeking export opportunities aligns perfectly with our priorities. We look forward to sharing our digital-first approach to modernising the agrofood sector with SISB and finding better ways to achieve self-sufficiency in food production.” 

Recognised as a high-income state by the World Bank in 2023, Sarawak has emerged as Malaysia’s new economic powerhouse, with the local government focused on elevating and industrialising the agrofood sector as part of its strategy to transform Sarawak into a competitive and resilient economy. 

“The MoU with FarmByte underscores our commitment to the agrofood sector and food security in Sarawak and is key to our integrated development of a Commercial Pineapple Estate and establishment of a processing plant in Sri Aman Division.  FarmByte’s digital-first approach and technological leverage appeals to us as we expand food production areas to ensure food security, elevate local livelihoods, and attract the younger generation of farmers and agropreneurs to be part of the agrofood sector,” said Wan Abu Bakar. 

He concluded, “We are excited to join hands with FarmByte and learn from their team of digital experts on the different innovative ways we can bring food to our tables.” 

About FarmByte Sdn Bhd 

FarmByte is pioneering a new innovative era in Malaysia’s agrofood industry. A JCorp company, FarmByte leverages technology to provide transparent end-to-end solutions to players in its agrofood ecosystem—the FarmByte Food Hub – to enhance national food security, production efficiency, and product quality.

Driven by a commitment to enhance food production and uplift communities, the company works together with trusted partners throughout the value chain – from farmers and processors to distributors and retailers – to create greater business and economic opportunities for the entire farm-to-fork ecosystem.

About Sarawak Incorporated Sdn Bhd 

Sarawak Incorporated Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned company of the Government of Sarawak, under the State Financial Secretary of Sarawak. Its core activities span several key sectors, including investment and property holdings, property development and facility management, environmental services such as waste and sewerage management, and agribusiness focused on food security.