Kudat Homestay operator to promote 1,500 farm produce as tourist attraction

By Olivia Miwil - May 9, 2020 @ 1:49pm

Datuk Cobra Jeffrey Ayah now has about 1,500 species of vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers at his 1.2 hectares.- NSTP/ courtersy of Cobra Jeffrey

KUDAT: A homestay operator here has leveraged on the slowdown in tourism to expand and diversify his land for agriculture.

Datuk Cobra Jeffrey Ayah now has about 1,500 species of vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers at his 1.2 hectares.

"Before the Covid-19 outbreak and movement control order, my homestay was offering packages for tourists to visit my farm which has a variety of plants originating locally and from abroad.

"But now, my family and I expanded the land to plant vegetables and other crops for our own consumption," said Cobra, who has won several tourism awards at national and global levels.

Cobra said it was not easy to plant the crops as it was drought season and it has only rained twice since February.

The family had to invest in special soil to make sure the crops grew.

His success, which Cobra posted on Facebook, lured other villagers to buy his produce.