Kota Kinabalu: Sabah needs to develop the deep-sea fishery industry comprehensively based on a value chain that includes landing (jetty) infrastructure, high-technology processing facilities, cold logistics systems and export market access.
Sook State Assemblyman Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup said the approach is important to increase the added value of Sabah’s marine produce and reduce dependence on the export of raw materials.
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Arthur, who is also Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister, said the state has structural and geographical advantages rarely found in other regions.
Hence, he said this potential should be strategically utilised as a new “gold mine” for the state’s economy via the implementation of the Blue Economy agenda based on planning, data and technology.
“At the same time, Sabah has a clear strategic advantage in the development of ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) by becoming the first state in ASEAN to pass the OTEC Enactment.
“The geographical position surrounded by vast oceans and the difference in sea temperatures make Sabah an ideal location for the generation of clean and sustainable ocean-based energy,” he said when debating the Supply Bill 2026 at the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting here, this week.
Arthur (BN-Sook) said studies showed that Sabah has the potential to generate up to 20,000 megawatts of energy through OTEC on the west and east coasts, adding that the development of OTEC is also in line with the Sabah Energy Master Plan and Direction 2040, as well as the Sabah Blue Economy agenda.
He said that although full implementation would take time, initial development at a particular scale would be sufficient to contribute to an ample energy supply, including for green hydrogen production, as well as to strengthen energy security and the zero-carbon target.
With strategic collaboration between the government, academic institutions and industry, he said, OTEC has the potential to attract high-value investments, create skilled jobs and position Sabah as a sustainable energy hub and a driver of long-term economic growth.
“With a clear direction and an approach based on science and technology, the Blue Economy agenda has the potential to make Sabah not only a major player in the regional maritime economy, but also a region capable of emerging as a net energy exporter in the country’s clean energy landscape in the future,” he said.
Meanwhile, Datuk Dr Daud Yusof (Warisan-Bongawan) said serious focus should be placed on strengthening downstream fisheries by building marine product processing factories to increase the economic value of the sector.
He said the construction of a seafood processing factory, especially for sardines, anchovies, frozen fish products, and value-added seafood products, is important to stabilise the prices of fishermen’s catches.
This measure, he said, would also reduce dependence on intermediaries, create local job opportunities and increase the export value of Sabah’s seafood products.
He said our fishermen work hard at sea, but huge profits are lost at the processing and marketing stages.
“The state budget needs to break this chain with strategic government intervention.
“If agriculture is the guarantee of food security, then fisheries (industry) is the guarantee of Sabah’s blue economy,” he said.
