Kota Kinabalu: Sabah livestock breeders who fail to care for government-supplied animals risk losing their deposits and being barred from future aid programmes under a RM17 million state initiative to boost livestock productivity.
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister Datuk Jamawi Jaafar said the strict conditions were necessary to ensure public funds were properly utilised and the livestock supplied contributed to the growth of the state’s ruminant industry.
The Sabah Ruminant Project 2026 aims to improve the productivity of beef cattle, dairy cattle and goats through better breeding stock, addressing the problem of breeders relying on older, less productive breeds.
Jamawi was speaking to reporters after officiating at the handover of livestock assistance and farm inputs under the programme at the Penampang District Veterinary Services Department (DVS) office yesterday.
A total of 43 recipients received assistance, comprising 19 goat breeders, 22 beef cattle breeders and two dairy cattle breeders.
He said recipients were selected from among those who had attended specialised training, applied for assistance and started their own livestock farming activities.
Jamawi urged the recipients to care for the animals properly, saying their breeding potential could help expand herds, improve livestock quality and generate better returns over the long term.
The cattle supplied could produce their first offspring within about two to three months, subject to their breeding condition and proper management, while the goats supplied were aged between one year and 14 months.
He said the programme would continue next year with the same quantity of assistance and was planned to run until 2030.
The DVS would conduct continuous monitoring in the respective districts to ensure the animals were properly cared for and the assistance used for its intended purpose.
“If an animal dies due to the breeder’s negligence, the deposit paid will be forfeited. The same applies if they sell the animals without our knowledge, and they will be blacklisted from future programmes,” he said.
Also present were Assistant Minister I Datuk Haji Ruslan Muharam, the ministry’s Deputy Permanent Secretary Maria David Edick, Sabah DVS director Dr Zul Bahar Haji Mohd Rashid and Eco Yap Fresh Milk owner Datuk Yap Yun Fook.