PETALING JAYA: The Sabah Cabinet has agreed to revive its padi and rice board as part of efforts to boost the state’s food production and improve food security, says chief minister Hajiji Noor.
With Sabah currently relying on imports of approximately 70% of its rice consumption, Hajiji said the revival of the board would help drive the state’s food sufficiency.
“The state Cabinet will submit the recommendation to the head of state for the approval of the establishment of the Sabah Padi and Rice Board as stipulated in Section 3 of the 1981 Agriculture Produce Board Enactment,” he said in a statement.
Last year, Hajiji said Sabah was working towards reviving the state padi board to raise its rice self-sufficiency (SSL) to 60% by 2030.
He said Sabah’s rice SSL stood at 22% and the remaining 78% of the rice supply was imported from various countries including China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Pakistan.
In his statement, Hajiji also said the state Cabinet had approved measures to attract and retain investors.
This includes granting special permissions for power generation facilities in industrial parks and allowing the installation of solar power systems in shophouses and residential buildings without requiring approval from Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd.
Separately, Hajiji said the state Cabinet had set the age limit for applications of the Sabah My Second Home (SBH-MM2H) programme at 30 years old or above.
Applicants are also allowed to sell their property after five years if they purchase a new home valued at no less than RM600,000, he said.
“Under the new policy, the appointment of the SBH-MM2H agents must be from local Sabah companies,” Hajiji added.
