KOTA MARUDU: The State Government's Kitchen Garden initiative will prioritise assisting participants who have already started farming or livestock activities instead of those waiting for aid, Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister Datuk Jamawi Jaafar said.
He said the ministry had learned from previous assistance programmes, including 1Azam, where many recipients failed to fully utilise the support provided, adding that assistance under the initiative would only be channelled after participants demonstrated commitment and progress.
Speaking after launching the Kitchen Garden Roadshow here on Tuesday, Jamawi said district agriculture officers and ministry officials had been tasked with monitoring participants, while those with potential would be linked to financing from Sabah Credit Corporation or Agrobank.
He said the roadshow, now in its eighth stop at Kota Marudu, would cover all 25 parliamentary constituencies to promote the initiative through exhibitions, briefings and mentoring, while correcting the misconception that the programme offered free assistance.
Jamawi also announced that the State Government had approved RM450,000 to upgrade the FTC Damai fruit seedling centre, which will serve as a one-stop centre supplying fruit planting materials for farmers in Kota Marudu, Kudat and Pitas.
