Go into organic farming – Junz
KUNDASANG: Agriculture and Food Industry Minister, Datuk Junz Wong, said, his ministry is focusing on encouraging organic farming of vegetables in Sabah, particularly in Kundasang.
“We have been plagued by high residual levels of pesticides so much so that it has affected our vegetables export to Brunei and Sarawak,” Junz disclosed.
Junz said this after attending the Cabbage Festival or Pesta Kobis celebration in Kundasang, which was officiated by Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Panglima Hj Mohd Shafie Apdal.
Junz said that several companies have given their commitment towards the effort to ‘go green & go organic’.
STF Agriculture Sdn Bhd has committed 50 metric tons of organic fertilizers produced from the by-products of their chicken farms in the state.
This is part of their CSR programmes to encourage organic cultivation and will be distributed to farmers in Kundasang through the coordination of the State Agriculture Department.
The minister said: “My ministry is committed to reducing the use of pesticides and chemicals in controlling pests and diseases.”
He added that a local company, Crop Booster Biotech Sdn Bhd, has already expressed their willingness to work with Kundasang farmers on the use of Black Soldier Flies (BSF) larva in converting bio-organic wastes into organic fertilizers.
This green technology method will result in the production of organic fertilizer and BSF Frass. BSF Frass has high nutrients content and if applied to crops will make it more resistance to diseases.
Another company that has indicated willingness to work with us to produce quality and safe crops is OKBA Co-Op. This CoOp produces organic fertilizers through bio-conversion and microorganisms.
Earlier, Datuk Junz Wong accompanied the Chief Minister to Kg Kiau in the Kota Belud district to officiate at the Koonduan Kiau Nuluh Enterprise (KKNE) opening, which was also attended by the Minister of Infrastructure, Datuk Peter Anthony, and Minister of Rural Development, Datuk Ewon Benedick.
KKNE was formed by Good Shepherd Services to help the rural unemployed housewives, in the downstream industry of pineapples to process chutney, jam, tart and other pineapple based products.
“My ministry is committed to facilitate and assist them. Thus, have approved a few requests budgeted at RM100,000 to help them expand their business model by providing seedlings, organic fertilizers and equipment for up-scaling purposes. We hope to increase the income of more villagers in Kg Kiau,” Junz said with optimism.