Kota Kinabalu: Sabah and Selangor is looking into ways to strengthen agricultural cooperation between the two states, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan.
Jeffrey, who is also Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister, said this after a recent meeting with Selangor Infrastructure and Agriculture Exco Izham Hashim at the former’s office.
They discussed a partnership to modernise agricultural practices in Sabah, utilising the expertise and experience of Selangor.
“This collaboration with Selangor marks an important step for Sabah in our journey to modernise our farming techniques and improve our food security,” he said.
He added Sabah is already in the process of allocating 2,000 to 5,000 hectares of land through government-linked companies (GLCs) for agricultural development.
“These initiatives form a crucial part of our strategy to bolster Sabah’s agricultural sector.”
The meeting also addressed significant challenges in the fisheries sector, such as illegal marine products exports such as shrimps in Sabah and clams in Selangor and coral theft, emphasising the importance of sustainable marine resource management.
Recognising Sabah as a major seaweed producer, both ministers agreed on the value of mutual learning from each other’s achievements.
A visit to Selangor’s agricultural sites is also proposed for later this year to foster further collaboration.
“The meeting was highly productive, and we are optimistic about this partnership bringing tangible benefits to both Sabah and Selangor,” Jeffrey said.
