KUCHING – The Sarawak Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Ministry is mulling the idea of holding a Tuak Festival as a platform to promote the product and also the culture of the state.
In this respect, Deputy Minister Datuk Sebastian Ting said as a start, it might be held in Kuching.
“With the ministry looking towards promoting Sarawak culture more aggressively, we thought: ‘Why don’t we have a festival for tuak (traditional alcoholic beverage) – a celebration?
“The idea is for us to have this festival, maybe (running) for over a week, to showcase the tuak we have in Sarawak.
“Eventually, it might even come to a situation where we have a tuak-making competition in every zone – the southern, northern and central regions of Sarawak,” he told reporters when met after the launch of Sarawak Gastronomy (Sago) Incubator 2023 at The Hills here yesterday.
Ting said for such an idea, it would need a “beginning”, which he acknowledged as being “always difficult”.
However, he was optimistic that the festival could become successful and sustainable, with Sarawak having many people who could produce tuak, the traditional rice wine of the Dayaks.
“The people who produce tuak are very experienced and should be able to organise a week-long festival.
“Our ministry will certainly consider starting off aTuak Festival. I believe people coming to Sarawak would also like to drink tuak. From what I gathered, tuak is very popular in Peninsular Malaysia.”
Ting said the proposed festival, which could become an annual event, should be able to help make tuak a worldwide-accepted drink.
“Now, we start off with the festival. Then we move forward in the following years. Maybe 10 years down the line, the world would be our market.
“Now, tuak is just a cottage (industry) product – it’s like a heritage being passed down from generation to generation.
“At the moment, its production and consumption are usually during Gawai season, but there are those who are going all out into manufacturing and selling it as a commercial product,” he added. – The Borneo Post, June 14, 2023
