Sabah to focus on sectors that ensure food security

By Olivia Miwil - April 15, 2020 @ 6:06pm

Sabah government will prioritise food security once the Movement Control Order is lifted. – File pic

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah government will prioritise food security once the Movement Control Order (MCO) is lifted.

State Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said there were drafted plans on which sectors to focus, but he only disclosed food being of utmost importance.

“Early this year, the state government had approved almost 10,000 acres of paddy cultivation at Sapi Canal in Sandakan.

“Another one is in Membakut, an (ongoing) trial of 200 acres hill paddy in Long Pasia, as well as in Keningau,” he said at a press conference, adding that the existing paddy field in Kota Belud was not enough.

He said that the state government had also approved a one-off assistance worth RM5 million to be given to those who were involved in paddy plantation.

Mohd Shafie said that priority was given to food as the state would not want to overly depend on imports of rice from Thailand and Vietnam.

“Food - agriculture, fisheries and fruits - for the rakyat has to be adequate, the lockdown (MCO) could last until June.

“The people have lost their jobs, there should not be any lack of food for them,” he said, adding the state government would look into various job opportunities after the MCO was lifted.

Meanwhile, for tomorrow's state Assembly sitting, Mohd Shafie, who is also state Finance Minister, will table the budget.

The sitting would be held half day with 60 assemblymen taking turns to be at the same place at one time.

“We cannot stop the assemblymen from attending the sitting, that is why they are being informed (of the preventive measures) of not exceeding 50 people at the same time.”

As for the viraled aerial footage of bad traffic jams particularly in towns these few days, Mohd Shafie said it was due to people coming out to withdraw their assistance funds from the bank.

He urged the public to limit their movement and if it was inevitable, they have to observe social distancing to contain the spread of Covid-19.