KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor has instructed the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry (MAFFI) to prioritise the hardcore poor in their action plans and programmes as part of the initiatives to eradicate hardcore poverty in Sabah.
Speaking after his working visit to the ministry at Wisma Pertanian near here today, the
Chief Minister said MAFFI must not forget the abject poor in their planning.
“Under eKasih data as at May 18 this year, Sabah’s hardcore poor household heads has dropped to 8,699. I hope more initiatives under MAFFI will involve them. We want
to make sure they are lifted out of abject poverty,” he said.
Based on the briefing by four departments and four agencies under MAFFI, Hajiji said
plans are in place to propel Sabah’s agriculture, fishery and food industries forward.
Importantly, he said the recently approved Sabah Padi and Rice Board (LPBS) must get
underway as soon as possible in order to boost Sabah’s food self-sufficiency level (SSL).
The Chief Minister wants government-linked companies owning unutilised lands to be
developed for agriculture, particularly padi as mandated by the State Cabinet.
He said in this respect, MAFFI could provide assistance in providing the necessary
resources.
Earlier Deputy Chief Minister I/Minister of Agriculture, Fisheriies and Food Industry
Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Jeffrey Kitingan disclosed that with the setting up of the LPBS,
the goal had been set to enhance Sabah’s SSL to 65 per cent in 2030 and 100 per cent
in 2035.
Dr Jeffrey said his Ministry is in the midst of appointing 15 board members including a
chairman for the LPBS.
LPBS’s focus will be on boosting padi yields from the average of 2.9 metric tonnes to
seven metric tonnes per hectare by 2030, developing abandoned padi fields to increase
acreage and opening up new padi fields through partnership with State GLCs and private
investments, he said.
He added, LPBS’s purview will include issuance of export and import licenses and permits as well as packaging and sales of padi and rice in Sabah.
Cabinet ministers, State Secretary Datuk Seri Panglima Sr Safar Untong and senior government officers were in attendance.-pr/BNN
