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TENOM – The landscaping and floriculture industry has the potential to be developed in Sabah based on encouraging demand as the state imported 156.93 tons of fresh flowers valued at RM4.9 million last year, said Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
Hajiji said the development of the industry can lower total imports of fresh flowers in the future and help improve the local community’s economy.
He said this when officiating at the 2022 Flower Festival at the Sabah Agriculture Park here today.
“This flower festival can be a platform for floriculture and landscaping entrepreneurs to share information and experience and carry out business matching to develop the floriculture industry in this state.
“I also hope that this flower festival will be able to foster a sense of love for the beauty of flora as well as landscaping activities that are beneficial to the community,” he said.
He said the flower festival should be held every year as it can draw more tourists to visit Sabah’s interior, especially Tenom district.
“I want the community to continue to appreciate the importance of conserving plant species as a source of food and contributor to environmental sustainability,” he said.
He said the Sabah Agriculture Park has been designated as a unique Biodiversity Treasure Storage Centre that has more than 1,500 species of plants, including 350 orchid species, 100 species of wild forest ginger and more than 100 species of fruits.
Since it was opened to the public on October 1, 2000, the park has seen a total of 471,299 local as well as foreign visitors or an average of 24,000 people a year before the Covid-19 pandemic struck the country. – Bernama, September 4, 2022
