KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has set up a special task force to deal with the El Niño phenomenon, which is expected to bring prolonged hot weather from September until February next year.
State Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister Datuk Jamawi Jaafar said the ministry has also prepared guidelines for farmers, livestock breeders, fishermen, and crop operators to take precautionary measures during this period.
“We have held discussions and prepared guidelines for all farmers, breeders, fishermen, and crop operators to be cautious during this season.
“Do not carry out open burning and do not open new areas. In places with water catchments, we advise building ponds to store water for future use,” he said after officiating the Konvoi Kembara Merdeka Jalur Gemilang (KMJG) programme by the Sabah Information Department at the Tenom Agriculture Office about 160km from here.
Jamawi said that livestock operators, including dairy cattle, goats, and aquaculture, must also prepare for the hot weather.
He said farm designs should ensure good ventilation and comply with standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the ministry.
“I will share with the Fisheries Department so that our SOPs for facing El Niño can be widely disseminated,” he added.
Meanwhile, he said his ministry was strengthening agricultural industry development in the interior as part of plans to establish agricultural-based industrial zones.
He said the state’s west coast already has several industrial zones, including Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP) and Sipitang Oil and Gas Industrial Park (SOGIP), while the east coast has the palm oil industrial cluster in Sandakan and Lahad Datu.
“In the interior, we propose creating an agricultural industrial zone,” he said, adding that efforts have already begun in Beaufort with the construction of a latex-based pillow processing factory.
In Tenom, an avocado processing plant and four coffee processing factories have been established.
The ministry has also allocated RM600,000 to build a coffee drying centre in Tenom to support the local coffee industry while in Keningau, the ministry is proposing the area to be a hub for dairy and beef processing.
For Tambunan, he said it will be developed with downstream industries based on ginger.
