Kota Kinabalu: The handover of 75 units of various types of agricultural machinery to the Sabah Paddy and Rice Board (LPBS) is expected to bring significant changes to efforts to modernise and restructure the State’s paddy industry.
State Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister Datuk Jamawi Jaafar said the ploughing and harvesting machinery would help encourage farmers to continue cultivating paddy.
“With the assistance of these 75 ploughing and harvesting machines, I am confident they will provide some encouragement to our farmers to continue their paddy cultivation,” he told reporters after officiating at the handover ceremony for the 75 units of agricultural machinery at KKIP here, on Friday.
He said the Government also recognised that some farmers were from the older generation and were no longer able to manage their paddy fields.
Jamawi thanked Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Haji Noor for approving the special allocation for the needs of Sabah’s farmers and paddy growers.
He said a Mini Estate scheme had therefore been introduced this year to develop paddy fields that had been left idle for a long time.
“So far, we have identified six companies that have successfully signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with landowners and are cultivating the land under the Mini Estate system,” he added.
At the same time, he said another 19 companies were still being evaluated after being invited to select idle paddy fields for cultivation.
“There are still about 15,000 acres of paddy land that used to be cultivated but have been left idle and without paddy cultivation for about eight to 10 years,” he said.
Jamawi said if the areas could be developed through the Mini Estate system, alongside the provision of new machinery to farmers who were still cultivating their fields, the Government was confident Sabah’s self-sufficiency level (SSL) for paddy and rice could be increased to at least 30pc within five years.
“If we can increase the yield per hectare, it will be more than 30pc,” he said.
He noted that the target was a commitment by LPBS and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Ministry to develop Sabah’s paddy sector.
Moreover, he said six paddy granary areas under LPBS had been identified to benefit from the mechanisation programme, with two districts having sub-district divisions.
“The main focus area is Kota Belud because its paddy fields cover a large area of about 8,000 acres. This is our main focus so that they can receive more suitable mechanisation,” he said.
He added that sub-districts would also receive some of the machinery, particularly areas where farmers had shown commitment to producing paddy more profitably.
Jamawi said farmers still requiring machinery assistance would first have to develop their respective areas in an orderly manner before assistance was provided.
“We will assess whether they have the capacity to receive machinery assistance. But first prove that they have a system, an area that has been developed in an orderly manner and a mechanism to maintain these machines so that they can last a long time,” he said.
He said the latest approach would not only involve the distribution of machinery, but also technology transfer and the development of joint service centres with suppliers. These requirements had been included in the tender documents processed and awarded to the successful companies.
“So, there will be a relationship from the supply of the machines through to the servicing process and technology transfer. The villagers will also understand how to use these machines properly so that they can be used for a long time,” he explained.
Jamawi said he had frequently attended machinery distribution programmes in the past but it was not known what happened to the machinery after it was handed over.
He said the new approach was expected to ensure the machinery supplied would be properly maintained and utilised over the long term.
In a related development, Jamawi said he had been informed by the Economy Ministry, Agriculture Ministry and Food Security Ministry that the Finance Minister had agreed to assist LPBS in developing paddy under the Mini Estate system and increasing paddy yields per acre.
“We will hold a follow-up meeting on the 21st of this month in Putrajaya with the relevant ministries,” he said.
He also thanked the Prime Minister for his concern over efforts to develop Sabah’s paddy industry.
“I am confident and believe that if it can be implemented in an orderly and planned manner, it will become a catalyst for the people of Sabah, particularly paddy growers, in bringing greater economic benefits to the people at the grassroots level,” he said.
