Sabah to launch Agri Blueprint
Published on: Wednesday, April 24, 2019
By: Winnie Kasmir
SANDAKAN: The Sabah Agriculture Blueprint that will be launched by the State Agriculture Department soon would become a reference for the overall agricultural development in the State.
The blueprint also includes corn grain, coffee and stingless bee breeding other than rice, fruits and vegetables with the intention to intensify one Permanent Food Production Park (Tanam Kekal Pengeluaran Makanan - TKPM) for one area.
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State Agriculture and Food Industry Minister, Datuk Junz Wong (pic) said the initiative taken by Agriculture Department to create more TKPM will be intensified.
“I was informed that TKPM Mesilau Kundasang is now in operation and hoping the infrastructure development for TKPM Ulu Bole Sipitang, TKPM Sadul Ranau, Mini TKPM Batu 8 Lahad Datu and Mini TKPM IPS Kota Belud would be expedited,” he said.
The certification of myGAP and myOrganic farms as well as plant quarantine enforcement activities will also be enhanced through the State Agriculture Blueprint.
“The effort mooted by Sabah Agriculture Department in ensuring the threat of IAS (Invasive Alien Species) from affecting our agriculture sector should also be praised as it was all under control.
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“It was believed that the IAS come from outside, therefore every entrance in our country should be under strict regulatory.
“As in Sabah, the Agriculture Department had listed 18 entrance under their enforcement in ensuring every plants or crops from outside are clear and safe from IAS,” he said.
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His speech was read by Junz’s Assistant Minister, Dr. Daud Yusof at the opening of the State Agriculture Department’s 37th Annual Meeting held at Sabah Hotel, Tuesday.
Also present was State Agriculture Department Director, Datuk Idrus Shafie, and the meeting was attended by 125 people.
Idrus said the Department’s focus is to address issues pertaining to food supply needs and improving the growth of agricultural sector for domestic production and export.
“For paddy commodities, in 2018, a total of 30,360 hectares have been cultivated, which involving 28,647 farmers. Whereas 98.0 hectares of idle rice fields have been restored.
“What is alarming is that federal subsidies for hill rice had been eliminated, while paddy rice subsidy are only half from past year.
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