Latest news with #DoA
Borneo Post
10 hours ago
- Business
- Borneo Post
SST expansion underscores urgent need for S'wak to boost local food production, says Dr Rundi
Dr Rundi (third left) presents the certificate to retired DoA agriculture officer Gilbert Igi on stage, witnessed by Dr Abdul Rahman (second left), Martin (third right) and Dominic. KUCHING (June 18): The upcoming expansion of the Sales and Service Tax (SST) on imported food should prompt greater urgency in boosting Sarawak's local food production and achieving food self-sufficiency, said State Food Industry, Commodity, and Regional Development Minister, Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom. Rather than focusing solely on taxation measures, he stressed the importance of long-term planning and innovation to strengthen the state's food security amid rising global uncertainties, including conflicts, climate change, and disruptions in global supply chains. 'These are the things that we have to think outside the box about. SST is one aspect, but our real focus must be on how to increase our local food sector,' he told reporters when met after officiating the Department of Agriculture (DoA) Sarawak Appreciation Ceremony here today. He noted that Sarawak currently faces a growing food import-export deficit, which rose from RM5.6 billion in 2022 to RM7.6 billion in 2023. 'So that means we have to be prepared, and we have to produce using our raw materials to create animal feed and plant the various crops. 'Our ancestors had to survive on sago and tapioca during World War II and we do not want to return to that kind of survival mode,' he said. Highlighting rice as a key concern, Dr Rundi pointed out that Malaysia's self-sufficiency level (SSL) for rice stands at only 32 per cent. 'Can you imagine, 68 per cent of our rice has to come from countries like Vietnam and India? If these major exporters stop exporting, we will be in deep trouble. 'That is why we are so serious about planting paddy,' he said. The minister revealed that Sarawak has a master plan in place to raise food production, including initiatives to develop hybrid rice varieties capable of producing up to 15 metric tonnes per hectare. Land identification and gazettement for food crop cultivation are also being undertaken with the help of the Land and Survey Department, with areas in Limbang and Lawas already gazetted for paddy, he said. On the role of farmers, Dr Rundi said it is crucial to shift from the traditional view of subsistence farming towards a business-oriented approach. 'We no longer talk about SSL in isolation. We talk about business – profit and loss. 'That is why we created the e-Tani platform, to ensure assistance is targeted according to the farmer's main activity,' he said. Using a rural anecdote, Dr Rundi recalled witnessing how residents at a longhouse were once given fingerlings for fish farming but unfortunately did not have the knowledge to manage them. 'All 30 doors of the longhouse were given the fingerlings, but they did not know what to do with them. That's a waste. 'So, we must move away from blanket assistance. The farmers must give us the feedback and tell us what they need, not what we think they need. Then they can see the impact,' he stressed. Earlier, Dr Rundi presented certificates to Excellence Service Award (APC) recipients as well as Certificates of Recognition to some retirees from DoA Sarawak. A total of 151 officers and staff from the department received APC awards, while retirees were celebrated for their service. Also present were State Deputy Food Industry, Commodity, and Regional Development Ministers Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Ismail and Datuk Martin Ben, and DoA Sarawak director Dominic Chunggat. dr stephen rundi lead local food production SST expansion
Business Wire
03-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Bruker Applied MS Unveils Strategic Innovations at ASMS 2025, Showcasing Advances in DART Technology for TDM and DoA Analysis and Launching timsMetabo™ for PFAS and Environmental Contaminant Detection
BILLERICA, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ: BRKR) today announced that its Applied Mass Spectrometry (Applied MS) division will present a powerful lineup of innovations at the 73rd American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) Conference, taking place June 1–5, 2025, in Baltimore, Maryland. These developments reflect Bruker's continued investment in applied markets, particularly in therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), drugs of abuse (DoA) analysis and environmental analysis. Bruker Applied MS will showcase two significant innovations: the integration of RECIPE's ClinMass ® and ClinDART ® assay kits with Bruker's EVOQ ® DART-TQ⁺ system for TDM and DoA applications, and the launch of the new timsMetabo™ platform for advanced small molecule analysis. These developments support Bruker's goal of delivering practical, high-performance solutions for routine analytical challenges. Bruker's recent majority investment in RECIPE, a renowned manufacturer of diagnostic assays for small molecule analysis used with triple quadrupole mass spectrometers, marks an important step in expanding its capabilities in TDM and DoA analysis. Since the acquisition, Bruker and RECIPE have collaborated to verify the IVDR certified ClinMASS ® kits for use on the EVOQ DART-TQ⁺ system, initially targeting high-priority compound classes. They are not US-FDA approved, but single compounds as controls and calibrators may be a basis in LDT approaches. In parallel, the companies are preparing the launch of RECIPE's ClinDART ® kits, which are designed as high-throughput, chromatography-free assays for the EVOQ DART-TQ⁺ system. These kits enable rapid, cost-efficient analysis with highly reduced solvent consumption, ease of use and increased lab productivity. All ClinDART ® protocols are currently designated for Research Use Only (RUO). Meanwhile, the newly introduced timsMetabo™ platform represents a leap forward in small molecule analysis. Built on Bruker's proprietary trapped ion mobility spectrometry (TIMS) and enhanced with Mobility Range Enhancement (MoRE) and the Athena Ion Processor (AIP), timsMetabo™ delivers high sensitivity and selectivity for PFAS detection. In early studies, timsMetabo™ identified 40% more low-mass molecules in water samples compared to previous-generation systems. This innovation supports both regulatory compliance and proactive environmental monitoring, with promising applications in toxicology and forensic science. 'The integration of RECIPE's assay expertise with Bruker's DART triple quad instrumentation is a significant advancement for therapeutic drug monitoring,' said Dr. Gernot Wolfram, Managing Director of RECIPE. 'It represents a promising concept with the potential to enable laboratories to adopt high-throughput, chromatography-free workflows that are efficient, robust, and more sustainable. These could dramatically enhance overall lab productivity and make mass spectrometry more accessible and impactful in routine clinical settings.' 'ASMS 2025 marks an important milestone for Bruker Applied MS,' said Jeffrey Zonderman, Senior Vice President of Bruker Applied Mass Spectrometry. 'With the launch of timsMetabo™ and the strategic integration of RECIPE, we are not only expanding our technology portfolio but also redefining what's possible in applied markets. These innovations reflect our commitment to solving real-world analytical challenges in TDM and environmental analysis.' Looking ahead, Bruker Applied MS will continue to develop solutions for PFAS, forensic toxicology, and therapeutic drug monitoring. The timsMetabo™ platform is expected to support future applications involving low-mass drug metabolites and emerging contaminants, while RECIPE's assay pipeline will further enhance Bruker's applied market offerings. About Bruker Corporation – Leader of the Post-Genomic Era (Nasdaq: BRKR) Bruker is enabling scientists and engineers to make breakthrough post-genomic discoveries and develop new applications that improve the quality of human life. Bruker's high performance scientific instruments and high value analytical and diagnostic solutions enable scientists to explore life and materials at molecular, cellular, and microscopic levels. In close cooperation with our customers, Bruker is enabling innovation, improved productivity, and customer success in post-genomic life science molecular and cell biology research, in applied and biopharma applications, in microscopy and nanoanalysis, as well as in industrial and cleantech research, and next-gen semiconductor metrology in support of AI. Bruker offers differentiated, high-value life science and diagnostics systems and solutions in preclinical imaging, clinical phenomics research, proteomics and multiomics, spatial and single-cell biology, functional structural and condensate biology, as well as in clinical microbiology and molecular diagnostics. For more information, please visit
