KINABATANGAN: Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu warned that government-funded agricultural projects will be closely monitored.
He said he will personally conduct surprise inspections to ensure public funds deliver tangible results.
Speaking at the Sentuhan Agro Madani programme here on Thursday (Jan 15), Mohamad said the government was determined to move away from policies that look impressive on paper but fail during implementation.
“We do not want policies to be formulated on paper alone. We want to go down to the ground and see for ourselves whether what has been announced is actually working,” he said.
Mohamad added that he would return to Kinabatangan in about a year or a year and a half without prior notice to assess the progress of projects announced under the programme.
“I may come alone, rent a car from the airport and come quietly. I want to see whether what has been spent is producing results,” he said.
One project Mohammad referred to is the newly launched RM2.4mil closed-house broiler chicken farming project in Bukit Garam, proposed by the Kota Kinabatangan Farmers’ Organisation.
He said modern closed-house systems address issues such as odour, waste management and efficiency. He added that technological advancements now allow poultry waste to be processed more effectively.
“This project must be managed properly. We do not want to see something that works for one or two cycles and then collapses,” he said, adding that the estimated return on investment of about 27% could be achieved if operations were managed well.
