Many resort to selling land given to them, says YB
Published on: Thursday, January 20, 2022
By: Clarence Dol
Tenom: The presence of Ikon Pertanian, or Agricultural Icons, is important as it will motivate the villagers to be more committed in cultivating their land with various types of crops and livestock.Sabah Assistant Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries I, Datuk James Ratib (pic), said this is especially so for villagers who have land to work with profitable crops.
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“The district’s coffee products are well known nationwide and even internationally. With crop icon such as Padas Farmstay owner and Fatt Choi Coffee, there will be more farmers interested in exploring coffee-based businesses,” he said.
Apart from the agricultural icon, the Ministry also has officers with “Expert” status in a field such as “Coffee Planting Specialist” so that every farmer or coffee entrepreneur has a reference to get advice and practical training.
He said the Ministry often sends officers to undergo advanced courses so they could continue to focus on providing guidance to farmers and ranchers to generate lucrative income.
“We are confident that with the focus of the Agriculture Officer’s expertise, they will be able to guide more farmers to be more successful. For example, the Robusta Coffee crop, if there are no experts on this crop, of course the quality will also deteriorate.”
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He said this while officiating at the Opening Ceremony of the Tenom Coffee Entrepreneurs Association at Padas Farmstay, Kemabong, near here on Monday which was also attended by coffee entrepreneurs from around the district.
He said even though the government is trying to give as much land to the villagers, but if not worked on, then the initiative is useless.
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“Various government efforts include removing the status of land from forest reserves to help the villagers. However, there are individuals who only think that if they acquire the land, they will sell it to other parties. That must be avoided,” he said.
James, who is also Sugut Assemblyman, said as a leader, he also made himself an agricultural icon to the people in his area by working on farms, including opening several swiftlet houses.
According to him, his focus is not to seek personal wealth but to attract more residents to follow in his footsteps and work hard on their land.
“I cultivate the land with various crops such as coconut, oil palm, avocado and sacha inchi.
“When they all bear fruit, maybe factories can be built in my area. So young people who migrated to other states can return to the village and work in his home town,” added James.
He also said his Ministry will supply coffee seeds, fertiliser and opening machines to coffee farmers and entrepreneurs in the State to help increase production.
James also hoped the coffee entrepreneurs would continue to increase their competitiveness in coffee production to be marketed nationally and internationally.
“Currently, several five-star hotel cafes in Kuala Lumpur serve Tenom Coffee,” he said, adding that it shows that it’s also available outside the State.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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