Sabah Rubber Industry Board expands into non-rubber sectors

 By Olivia Miwil

January 8, 2026 @ 3:20pm

State Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister Datuk Jamawi Jaafar said the board has taken steps to drive economic development beyond rubber cultivation alone. nstp/OLIVIA MIWIL

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Rubber Industry Board (Ligs) is set to move beyond rubber as its corecommodity following the launch of its 25-year strategic plan.

State Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister Datuk Jamawi Jaafar said the board has taken steps to drive economic development beyond rubber cultivation alone.

"Today, they also operated paddy fields, pineapple plantations, Musang King durian farms, honey bee farms and a range of other supplementary crops for rural farmers. This is a very positive initiative.

"In fact, they were also venturing into the transportation industry on a broader scale, including for export markets and beyond.

"I hope this strategic plan will serve as a guide for all Ligs staff and top management so that, over the next 25 years, our strategy to increase the income of small rubberholders can be realised — from RM1,800 today to RM5,000 per month," he told the media after launching the plan at Wisma Pertanian here.

Jamawi said most smallholders currently earned about RM1,800 a month from holdings averaging 6.07 hectares.

He said volatility in global rubber prices remained one of the key challenges in efforts to raise the income of rubber tappers.

"That is why the federal government introduced the Rubber Production Incentive, and at the state level, we have the Sabah State Government Assistance.

"At present, the Sabah state government assistance stood at about 50 sen per kg, while for scrap rubber coagulum, it was about 25 sen per kg," he said.

The Melalap assemblyman said he had also instructed Ligs management to prepare a cabinet paper aimed at assisting smallholders, not only through subsidies but also by exploring alternative products to boost supplementary income.

Currently, the board operated a pineapple plantation covering about 202 hectares in Kota Marudu, which could also produce planting materials to be distributed later under the 'kitchen garden' programme.

"This way, we can help small rubberholders generate additional income and strengthen their livelihoods," he said.

Also present were assistant ministers Datuk Ruslan Muharam and Datuk Hendrus Anding, as well as the ministry's permanent secretary Datuk Leonard Poyong.