NABAWAN: Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup said the Farmers’ Organisation Board (LPP) channelled RM4.1 million in development grand allocation for Sabah under the 4th Rolling Plan Development Allocation (2024).
He said this is to fund various Development projects such as AgriPrentice, Farmer Entrepreneur Empowerment (Rise-up), Post-Harvest Centre Development and others.
“The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) through the LPP always strives to ensure that the farming community can play an active role in increasing effective contributions to the country’s agro-food sector, including in rural and interior areas,” he said after opening the Pagalungan Farmers’ Unit here.
He said the initiatives were channelled through the LPP would breathe new life into the agro-food sector by adapting the application of the latest automation and mechanisation technology, smart-precision farming and digitisation of production.
“This is in addition to mastering a large-scale production chain that can help the Government in national food security, especially in Sabah,” said Arthur who is also Pensiangan Member of Parliament.
He said the Pagalungan Farmers’ Unit was the 29 for the Nabawan Area Farmers’ Association (PPK) and recorded an increase of 120 people to a total of number of 3,620 members.
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He said the State Farmers’ Organisation has 27 Area Farmers’ Organisations (PPK) comprising 836 farmers’ units.
“By joining the Farmers’ Association, we can arrange measures that allow farmers to handle the marketing of agricultural products, especially commodities such as cash crops (peanuts, fruits and vegetables) by creating ‘Farmers Outlet, Farmers’ Markets, Madani Agro Sales and so on,” he said.
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Arthur said farmer association members would also get priority in services offered by LPP such as project advice, transport, produce processing, marketing, fertiliser distribution, machinery and credit facilities.
He hoped the establishment of the Pagalungan Farmers’ Unit would make it easier for the KPKM through its departments and implementing agencies to channel all aid to the target groups in a more effective and orderly manner so that the prosperity of Madani Malaysia could be enjoyed together in the rural areas.
The programme is also interspersed with Mini Agro Madani Sales involving farmer entrepreneurs under the guidance of Farmers’ Organisations offering a variety of fresh agricultural products from farms such as fresh meat, fish, vegetables, rice and basic daily necessities at reasonable prices.
Also present were Director General of LPP Amir Matamin, Director of Sabah LPP Hadriyani Ahmad and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nabawan Area Farmer Organisation Marutin Ansiung.