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Kota Kinabalu: Efforts to promote premium durian and local avocado cultivation are among the key priorities of Sabah’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry (MAFFI) to boost farmers’ incomes.

Minister Datuk Jamawi Jaafar said the initiative supports efforts to strengthen the agri-food sector while enabling rural entrepreneurs to generate additional income.

He said the local avocado variety QAV1, rebranded as Queen Sabah Avocado, is showing strong market potential, with farm-gate prices ranging from RM12 to RM15 per kilogram and rising export demand.

Jamawi added that avocado planting assistance programmes will be expanded, particularly in interior districts such as Tenom, Keningau, Kota Marudu, Kudat and Ranau, to provide an additional income source for farmers.

He said the ministry will also enhance the value of local durians through mature grafting technology to address seasonal oversupply and increase growers’ returns.