Comprehensive strategy to enhance food security
Published on: Sunday, April 21, 2024
By: Sherell Jeffrey
With a comprehensive and multifaceted approach, the State Government is poised to enhance the productivity and sustainability of the agriculture sector, ensuring a robust food supply for the people of Sabah in the years to come.
THE State Government unveiled a comprehensive strategy in a move to strengthen Sabah’s agricultural landscape and enhance food security.
With a comprehensive and multifaceted approach, the State Government is poised to enhance the productivity and sustainability of the agriculture sector, ensuring a robust food supply for the people of Sabah in the years to come.
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Tun Juhar outlined the government’s multi-pronged approach to boosting agricultural productivity and ensuring a sustainable food supply for the people of Sabah.
“The State Government will continue to focus on increasing production and the Self-Sufficiency Level (SSL) of agricultural products in Sabah to strengthen food security, particularly for the commodity of rice,” Juhar said.
To achieve this, the State Government implemented several key strategies, including the New Rice Cultivation Area Development Project in collaboration with Sawit Kinabalu Sdn Bhd, which covers 100 hectares in Taritipan Estate, Kota Marudu.
Additionally, the government has undertaken the Program Pengapuran Sawah Padi Luar Jelapang Negeri Sabah, a joint effort with the National Farmers’ Organisation (Nafas) that encompasses 1,050 hectares of rice fields.
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Juhar said that the drive to increase the rice SSL would continue this year through various initiatives. These include boosting the frequency of rice planting to expand the cultivation area, increasing ploughing work to widen coverage, optimizing fertiliser assistance, and gradually restoring abandoned rice fields.
“The State Government will also empower authorised rice seed satellite farms for selected varieties and conduct research programs on wetland rice and upland rice, as well as implement the Sabah Integrated Rice Cluster project. With the implementation of these programs, the rice SSL in Sabah is expected to increase to 25 per cent this year,” he said.
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Alongside the focus on rice, the State Government is also strengthening food security for other crops through the development of Permanent Food Production Parks (TKPM). In 2023, five such parks with basic infrastructure were established across the State, including in Ulu Bongawan Papar, Talibadak Kuala Penyu, Gum-Gum Sandakan, Apin-Apin Keningau and Sg. Koyah Kinabatangan.
“The State Government is also implementing strategic collaborations with the Koperasi Kakitangan Jabatan Pertanian Sabah Berhad for the development of the coconut industry and the Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA) to increase the use of technology in planning, managing, and monitoring the use of agricultural land in Sabah,” Juhar added.
Efforts to boost food crop production will be further amplified through the Food Crop Development Project, which focuses on coconut, coffee, and fruit crops.
The government will also continue to increase output under the Contract Farming Program and intensify agricultural marketing initiatives through the Farmers’ Collection Centres (APCC).
To ensure the state’s long-term food security, the Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (Sedia) will explore the Food Valley Development initiative, covering the districts of Keningau, Nabawan, Tongod, and Tambunan.
This project aims to strengthen the state’s capacity to increase food supply and ensure food security, and has already begun with a Master Plan Study on the Food Valley in the Interior of Sabah.
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