By Mu Vitet
KOTA KINABALU: Sandakan-born Sino-Kadazan Gerald Wong, fondly known as Angkol Gerald, has turned his passion for modern agriculture into a social enterprise that is raising rural incomes and setting new benchmarks for wages in Sabah.
Gerald, who left a lucrative oil and gas career in 2018, founded Farm Tokou to generate sustainable income and create jobs for rural youth.
The initiative has since expanded to Telupid, Sook, Papar, Penampang, Kudat and Ranau, involving more than 100 participants.
Over the past two years, Farm Tokou has helped communities earn a combined side income of RM432,000, encouraging young people to see agriculture as a viable career.
“I wanted to prove that agriculture, with modern technology, can be both profitable and professional,” Gerald said.
Farm Tokou is also taking the lead in fair wages.
While the government only raised the minimum wage to RM1,700 in August 2025, Gerald had already implemented it six months earlier.
On September 1 this year, Farm Tokou pushed further by setting its minimum wage at RM2,000.
Employees also received at least a 17 per cent salary increase, along with allowances, commissions and overtime.
Gerald admitted the move was challenging amid rising prices, SST implementation and e-invoicing but stressed that dignity in wages must come first.
“When staff feel valued, they give more than effort, they join the collective push to grow the company,” he said.
Farm Tokou has also been active in community support, carrying out flood relief missions in Penampang and Beaufort in 2024 and 2025 with Yayasan Hasanah, reaching more than 600 victims.
“The true measure of effectiveness lies in how much we give back to the community,” Gerald said.
