SANDAKAN: Giving land to Sabahans serves little purpose if they lack the knowledge, financial support and guidance to turn it into a source of income, says Parti Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.
He said empowering rural communities required more than distributing land, stressing that farmers must also be equipped to cultivate profitable crops and take advantage of market demand.
“There is no point giving land to our people if they don’t know how to monetise it.
“How are they going to make use of it? We must guide them,” he said during his speech at Warisan’s 10th annual general meeting here yesterday.
Shafie said agricultural assistance should include financing and practical guidance to ensure landowners could make productive use of their land.
He highlighted the need to continue providing loans to farmers, including those cultivating hill padi in Long Pasia, Keningau and Tambunan.
However, he said farmers should also be encouraged to diversify into higher-value agricultural products rather than relying solely on crops that fetched low prices.
“It is not just about giving them land and financial assistance. We must also make sure they cultivate crops.
“Grow crops like chillies. They fetch good prices and have a good market. Ginger is expensive and there is demand for it internationally,” he said.
Shafie stressed that farmers needed proper guidance on crop selection to ensure their efforts could generate meaningful returns.
He said Sabah possessed some of Malaysia’s most fertile agricultural land, particularly in areas with volcanic soil, which provided considerable potential for agricultural development.
Citing Kalabakan as an example, he said fruits and vegetables grown in areas with fertile volcanic soil could have distinctive qualities, including greater sweetness.
“Why? Because it’s volcanic soil,” he said, explaining why produce grown in such areas could taste sweeter than that from other locations.
He contrasted this with peat soil, which he said required additional treatment and management before it could be cultivated effectively.
“Peat soil is very difficult. You have to treat the land,” he said.
Shafie said Sabah’s agricultural potential should be translated into greater economic opportunities for rural communities rather than leaving landowners struggling to generate income from their holdings.
He maintained that assistance should cover the entire process, from providing land and financing to guiding farmers on what to cultivate.
Shafie also emphasised that government efforts to improve livelihoods should go beyond agricultural development.
He recalled his administration’s support for Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), saying the state had provided financial assistance to the institution despite it being under federal jurisdiction.
“Although it is a federal institution, I was thinking about the future of Sabah,” he said.
Shafie said the decision was driven by the need to invest in Sabah’s future, particularly the education and development of its younger generation.
He maintained that improving the lives of Sabahans required long-term investment in their ability to earn a living and access opportunities, rather than simply providing assistance without ensuring lasting benefits.
