Studies find fruits more profitable than oil palm
KENINGAU: The Sabah ABgyriculture and Food Industries Ministry plans to develop new sustainable and forward-looking farming policies that will benefit the people.
Minister, Junz Wong said it was time that the state government focused on agricultural commercialisation and more profitable agricultural business ideas through the agricultural ministry.
“We will recommend changes to the policies and discuss specifically on a proposal that oil palm plantations be planted with other crops,” he told Bernama when met at the Yap Yun Fook Livestock Dairy Farm yesterday.
According to Wong, the ministry was working on developing a policy to encourage the people, especially farmers to engage in commercial fruit production which was more profitable than oil palm cultivation.
“Not that it is not feasible to cultivate oil palm, but we have conducted studies which found that fruit farming is more profitable than oil palm cultivation.
“Musang King durian, coconut, pineapple and several other fruits have been proven to give much higher returns. It is the government’s responsibility to promote agricultural activities that can benefit the people,” he said adding that the ministry was committed to work together in the marketing of fruits.
In response to a question, he said the ministry was thinking of an effective mechanism on how the government could help farmers engage in commercial fruit farming activities in the state.
He also called on banking institutions in the state, particularly the Agro Bank and Sabah Development Bank to provide more assistance to local investors interested in fruit farming business. - Bernama