KOTA KINABALU: More inter-governmental collaborations between agencies are needed to help agricultural smallholders market their products, said Datuk Ruslan Muharam.
The Sabah Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industries Assistant Minister said this includes helping them market their products internationally.
He said such collaborations would assist farmers and small-time industry players generate sustainable income and avoid oversupply, which could result in wastage and losses during peak seasons.
“We see a need to boost strategic cooperation between agriculture players with government agencies under the ministry,” said Ruslan during a ‘Let’s Eat Durian’ programme in Sipitang on Friday (Jan 2).
He said the agriculture sector has huge potential to grow further with the right, systematic and efficient strategies and development programmes.
This sector is not only marketable and expandable domestically but also internationally, he added.
The Lumadan assemblyman said these measures include marketing plans, improvement of supply chains and adhering to the requirements of export markets.
He said local produce such as durians, pineapples, jackfruits, pandan coconuts and avocados are among the highly sought after commodities in the international market.
