Kota Kinabalu: About 1,000 hectares of abandoned padi land in Kota Marudu will be reopened under a new collaboration aimed at helping Sabah achieve at least 30 per cent rice self-sufficiency level (SSL) by 2030.
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister Datuk Jamawi Jaafar said the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Sabah Paddy and Rice Board (LPBS), Arise Consulting (Sabah) Sdn Bhd and ABS Greentech Sdn Bhd was the sixth signed this year in efforts to strengthen the State’s padi industry.
He said some of the identified padi fields had been abandoned for as long as 10 years, while others had remained idle for at least five to six years, with technology transfer and modern farming methods, including drones, to be introduced to encourage more young people into the industry.
ABS Greentech Sdn Bhd Managing Director and Founder R.M. Ravichandar said investment was estimated at close to RM10,000 per hectare, with a conservative break-even period of about six years due to the initial cost of rehabilitating the abandoned land and introducing technology.
Arise Group Chief Executive Officer Dato’ Whitney Ho said the initial phase would cover about 200 hectares involving four villages, including Tengkananon and Marion, while Kota Belud, Keningau, Ranau and Papar were among areas being explored for future expansion, with a longer-term target of developing up to 10,000 hectares in Sabah.
