KOTA KINABALU: Sabah needs to utilise advancement in science, technology and innovation to increase the value of its natural resources and open up new opportunities for economic growth.
Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Datuk Dr Mohammad Yusof Apdal said Sabah's abundant natural resources have potential to be developed further with the use of modern technology, reducing dependence on sales of raw materials.
He said we are now in an era of technology and the state cannot continue to depend solely on the sales of raw materials and base products without improving their value.
"Efforts to make use of natural resources is in line with the ministry's ambition to make Malaysia a high technology nation which would benefit the people immensely and directly," he said.
Dr Mohammad Yusof said this at a leisure event with media practitioners in Sabah on Saturday (Oct 10).
Commenting on the recent budget, he said overall, the budget focuses on initiatives to help the people in terms of rising cost of living and also plans to develop the economy.
He said the budget is also balanced and suitable for the ministry's objective to build a high-tech nation which would also bring benefits to the people.
For Sabah's budget allocations, Dr Mohammad Yusof said the increase in funding this year compared to the previous year is seen as able to help the people address various issues including the rising cost of living.
"In Sabah, I think the potential for phytomining or agromining technology should be explored further to increase the economic value of Sabah's natural resources," he added.
