KOTA MARUDU: A collaboration between Koperasi Pembangunan Desa (KPD) and Teknologi Pertanian Malaysia Barat (Emat) will be established to strengthen the commercial grain corn planting industry on a 300-acre site in Terusan Sapi, Telupid.
State Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister Datuk Jamawi Jaafar said the ministry had proposed reviving the project, which was previously carried out in 2024, through the collaboration with an allocation of RM2 million under the ministry.
He said Emat’s expertise in modern agro-technology was needed for the project following the company’s success in implementing a similar initiative together with Koperasi Tanjung Keramat Berhad (KTKB) in Kampung Masalog, Kota Marudu, over the past three years.
At the same time, he said the partnership between KPD and Emat could strengthen food security, reduce dependence on imported animal feed, and enhance Sabah’s modern agriculture sector through the South African agro-technology used by Emat.
“We are planning to fully open up the 300-hectare area in Terusan Sapi through this collaboration, and the area involved is not paddy land but terrain that requires less irrigation and is more suitable for grain corn cultivation.
We still have about RM2 million in remaining allocations that will be used to develop the area, and I am confident the joint venture between KPD and Emat can reduce dependence on imported commodities,” he said.
Elaborating further, Jamawi said KPD and Emat had held several rounds of discussions regarding the strategic collaboration and, in principle, both parties had agreed to proceed, with a memorandum of understanding (MoU) expected to be signed as early as June this year.
He added that the collaboration would directly benefit KPD, which is also involved in the broiler chicken industry and currently produces up to 200,000 broiler chickens monthly. The commercial grain corn project is expected to help lower feed costs.
“In principle, we agree for KPD to work with Emat because we have seen for ourselves their success in developing a 50-hectare site in Kota Marudu. They have not only achieved higher grain corn yields but also possess complete machinery and technology that can be applied in Terusan Sapi.
“If this collaboration succeeds, it can reduce feed costs and further increase KPD’s profits. Last year alone, KPD recorded sales of about RM106 million, and I believe KPD is capable of carrying out this responsibility and becoming one of Sabah’s main producers of corn-based animal feed,” he said.
Speaking on his visit to Emat’s grain corn plantation project, Jamawi said the technology introduced by Emat during the first planting season on the 50-hectare site in Kampung Masalog had produced encouraging harvest results of up to nine tonnes per hectare.
He said the project has now entered its second season, and future harvests are expected to increase significantly due to the use of modern agro-technology and equipment by Emat, which are believed to help improve productivity, boost Sabah’s economy, reduce import dependence and empower local farmers.
“The actual potential of grain corn cultivation can reach between eight and nine tonnes per hectare if good agricultural practices are fully implemented. Based on Agriculture Department data, yields can reach up to nine tonnes per hectare with proper crop management.
“With the current market price at around RM1,400 per tonne and mechanised production costs at about RM800 per tonne, grain corn cultivation has huge potential to be developed commercially,” he said.
Jamawi said Sabah currently still depends heavily on imported grain corn for animal feed, with imports valued at about RM800 million annually, while the state’s Self-Sufficiency Level (SSL) for the commodity stands at only about two per cent.
“Sabah currently produces only about two per cent of the feed requirements for chickens and other livestock. Therefore, the ministry has allocated RM5 million in incentives this year for entrepreneurs interested in grain corn cultivation, in addition to advisory services and technical expertise from the Agriculture Department,” he said.
