KOTA KINABALU: Sabah kicked off its month-long Pesta Kaamatan celebrations with the state government focusing on food security and self-sufficiency.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the state placed RM559.85mil under the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Ministry (Maffi) this year to enhance food security and Sabah’s Self-Sufficiency Ratio (SSR).
He said the government has implemented various efforts to ensure food security in the state, such as establishing the Sabah Padi and Rice Board and developing padi fields across the state, including here and surrounding districts like Membakut, Beaufort and Kuala Penyu.
“In line with the spirit of the Kaamatan Festival, which values harvest, the agriculture sector remains one of the three main pillars driving the state’s economic growth under the Sabah Maju Jaya 2.0 Development Plan (SMJ 2.0).
“This reflects the state government’s commitment to ensuring strong food security, especially amid current global economic and geopolitical uncertainties,” he said at the launch of the state-level Pesta Kaamatan (Harvest Festival) at Papar about 40kms from here on Friday (May 1).
At the same time, the Chief Minister also encouraged the public to support local products, particularly Sabah’s own agricultural produce, as a step to strengthen the domestic economy.
“The progress we enjoy today would be meaningless without the unity and strong cooperation among the people of various races and religions in this state.
“ I call on all Sabahans to continue working hand in hand with the government in realising every agenda, especially the Sabah Maju Jaya 2.0 direction,” he said.
Hajiji added that the government will continue to implement various assistance initiatives to improve people’s standard of living and socio-economic status, including the continuation of existing aid in education, human capital, and public well-being.
The state government, he said, remains committed to ensuring inclusive and balanced development throughout the state so that every segment of society can enjoy the prosperity achieved.
“We can see for ourselves in Papar that the district has undergone very encouraging changes with several infrastructure and commercial development projects that have been and are actively being implemented, including in Benoni and the surrounding areas of Kinarut,” he said.
Once the Pan Borneo Highway project is fully completed, Papar will also have great potential to emerge as a major stopover destination for visitors from Brunei and Sarawak, he added.
With facilities such as the Borneo Cultural Village and the Sabah Native Customary School, Papar has the potential to become a progressive and competitive district, he said.
He added that the choice of Papar as the host for this year’s Kaamatan Festival launch is most fitting, as Papar is well known as one of the areas in Sabah that has fertile rice fields.
“The Papar district is not only rich in produce, but also rich in cultural values and the strong sense of community among its multi-ethnic population living in peace and harmony. This is the true reflection of the Sabah we are proud of,” he said.
