MIRI: (Oct 28) Sarawak is facing a massive logistic headache to recall China-manufactured canned pork after DNA of the African Swine Fever virus was detected in one of its products.
The dilemma now is how to recall the canned meats from shelves of sundry shops and supermarkets in the vast state.
The task is especially difficult in remote districts.
Progressive Democratic Party secretary-general Datuk Nelson Balang Rining told The Star that the relevant ministries must spring into action and go to the rural frontiers fast.
"The urgent thing to do now is to recall all these China canned pork from sundry shops in remote settlements.
"While this is being done, there is a need to stop transporters and suppliers in cities and towns from sending any more canned pork to rural settlements.
"In rural Sarawak, people need to buy canned food to supplement their diet at times when natural food sources are scarce, like during drought, heavy rain and floods.
"Canned pork is a popular supplementary food," he said.
Balang hails from the Bakelalan highlands in northern Sarawak.
He suggested that the Health Ministry and Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry swiftly deploy ground teams into rural Sarawak.
"They must go into all rural settlements and inform the rural folks there to stop eating the canned pork from China.
"It is not enough to just issue notices in cities and towns.
"Out of the 5,000 plus rural settlements throughout Sarawak, most may not know the latest news due to lack of communication," he said.
Balang said he and his party machinery would convey the ban directive to as wide an audience as possible in rural frontiers.
Sarawak is about the same size as the whole of Peninsular Malaysia, but much of the state is mountainous and forested.
There are about a million rural folks in Sarawak out of the state's three million population.
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