Kota Kinabalu: Sabahans are told to look into coconut cultivation seeing how peninsular currently demands a tall 661 metric tonnes ahead of Hari Raya.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup said Sabah, through the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama), has only managed to supply 13.2 metric tonnes in February.
“Fama has taken intervention steps to meet the overwhelming demand. This is a signal to Sabah’s great potential in coconut farming as it can be supplying the whole domestic market.
“Farmers have been told to increase production but within this period it seems that supply will be insufficient,” he said when met after officiating the Fama Ramadan food bazaar at Asia City on Friday.
There are only 10 of such bazaars nationwide where two are in Sabah, the other being in Putrajaya, Telipok.
Arthur said the nationwide target value this year is RM7 mil and Sabah managed to record RM1.3 mil in sales last year.
“So we have set Sabah’s new sales target at RM1.5 mil this year,” he said.
Meanwhile, on politics, the Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) President said Sabah Barisan Nasional seat divisions are still being carried out.
He said this when asked if PBRS would contest the Melalap seat which is some 90 km from its Pensiangan parliamentary stronghold held since 2004.
“The State Assembly will dissolve anyway and all seats must be vacated. BN is identifying areas most suitable to field candidates…There is still no official decision.
“PBRS’s views are consistent and we are with the people who have had it with the political instability faced since the last term. We want political stability especially for Sabah,” he said.