Go to the ground more often for feedback from people —Yahya
KOTA BELUD: Sabah Agriculture and Food Industry Minister, Datuk Seri Yahya Hussin has called on heads of department under the ministry to go to the ground more often to gather feedback from the people in planning new programmes.
Yahya, who is also Deputy Chief Minister, said the mechanism of going to the ground was in line with the concept of ‘Merakyatkan Perkhidmatan Aw am ’( Citizen is in gt he Public Service) in helping the people.
“The practice of going to the ground is the best opportunity to hear directly the problems faced by the target groups.
“Besides that, the heads of department can disseminate to the people, information on the policies, approaches and programmes of each department or agency involved,” he said when officiating at a gotongroyong padi harvesting event in Kampung Tambatuon, near here, yesterday.
The event was organised in collaboration with the Sabah Agriculture Department through the Kota Belud Integrated Agriculture Development Area (IADA), and the residents of Kampung Tambatuon.
“The padi grown in this village is organic padi, with the method of using natural products to fertilise the land instead of using chemicals,” Yahya said.
“The advantage of organic farming is the emphasis on sustainability and increase in soil fertility and healthy padi plant growth. The organic fertiliser is produced by the villagers themselves after being taught by the private sector and outside experts.
“This local rice known as‘wangi keladi’ rice has been grown in this village through generations. Through the ‘eat local rice’campaign organised by the Kota Belud IADA last year, it has been proposed that this padi be commercialised and given as a souvenir to visitors.
“This effort by the Kota Belud IADA has also helped promote Kampung Tambatuon as a tourism product, ”he added.
Situated at the foot of Mount Kinabalu in a beautiful valley and about 37 km from Kota Belud town, Kampung Tambatuon is regarded as special as the Sungai Kadamaian flows through it, making the soil fertile for agriculture, especially padi growing.