TENOM: Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister Datuk Jamawi Jaafar urged the Sabah Rubber Industry Board (LIGS) to improve service delivery to smallholder rubber tappers further so rural communities can better share in Sabah and Malaysia’s economic progress.
Speaking at the distribution of Monsoon Season Aid (BMT) to Tenom rubber smallholders at the Datuk Seri Panglima Antanom Hall, Jamawi stated that continuous improvements were necessary to ensure that government assistance reached its intended beneficiaries effectively.
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He reaffirmed his Ministry’s commitment to implementing planned programmes not only for Melalap, which he represents as assemblyman, but for communities across Sabah.
Jamawi said his ministry would roll out three initiatives from next year to strengthen food security and raise incomes, namely the Kitchen Garden Programme, a structured agriculture mentor–mentee scheme for youth, and the promotion of digital platforms among food industry entrepreneurs.
He added that LIGS and the ministry would prepare a Cabinet paper to propose an increase in State Government Assistance subsidies for rubber tappers, noting that 150 of the 9,000 registered tappers received BMT during the event.
