TAMBUNAN: The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry (MAFFI) will continue developing food crop cultivation and livestock farming through the implementation of high-impact programmes aimed at increasing people’s income and strengthening the State’s food security.
Its Minister, Datuk Jamawi Jaafar, said continuous efforts through the Department of Agriculture and related agencies are expected to improve the overall standard of living of Sabahans.
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He said this when officiating the Final Exhibition of the Water Catchment Forest Conservation and Sustainable Agriculture Empowerment Project at Kampung Kuyungon here on Sunday.
Jamawi expressed his appreciation to the organisers for the invitation and opportunity to engage with the local community, praising Kampung Kuyungon as one of the most progressive villages in the Tambunan district.
Among its notable achievements, he said, is being the first village in Tambunan to develop a Community Protocol, as well as being designated an official cultural reference village for future generations through collaboration with Universiti Putra Malaysia.
The village has also successfully developed the longest and most extensive jungle trail network in Tambunan, in addition to establishing community-based tourism (CoBT) and community agribusiness initiatives.
Jamawi said he was informed that residents of Kampung Kuyungon have implemented the kitchen garden concept as an effort to support household-level food supply sustainability.
He said the kitchen garden initiative is also one of three new programmes introduced by the ministry to empower community-based agriculture.
“Strengthening the Kitchen Garden Programme is expected to increase agricultural output and encourage wider community participation across all levels in the agriculture sector, towards realising food security.
“The programme focuses on small-scale crop production, fisheries and livestock, depending on the suitability of the area and household capacity, with particular emphasis on youth involvement,” he said.
Jamawi also congratulated the youths of Kampung Kuyungon who chose to return to their village to develop agriculture-based businesses.
He said the second initiative is the Agriculture Mentor-Mentee Programme, designed to identify young individuals actively involved in agriculture and guide the next generation to enter the sector.
The third initiative involves engaging food industry entrepreneurs in the digital economy to expand market reach and increase income in line with current developments.
According to him, the digital economy approach also has the potential to produce more capable youths in food production and processing, generating sustainable income opportunities.
Jamawi also announced that Kampung Kuyungon has been selected as MAFFI’s model village to realise these aspirations. He added that he would visit other districts to explore the potential of villages elsewhere.
He expressed hope that all objectives outlined through the programme would be successfully achieved and thanked all parties involved for making the programme a success.
Also present were Keningau Assemblyman Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey G. Kitingan, Tambunan District Officer Sobitun Makajil, Tambunan District Chief and OKK Philip Datuk Kitingan.
After the event, Jamawi, accompanied by Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Datuk Leonard Stephen Poyong and Sabah Paddy and Rice Board (LPBS) chief executive officer Datuk Dr Madiyem Layapan, visited a hybrid rice pilot planting site from Wuhan, China, at Kampung Rompon, Tambunan.
