Take advantage of market for organic produce

TAMBUNAN: Farmers in Sabah should embrace organic farming to capitalise on the expanding market for organic produce both locally and internationally.

Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said consumers are increasingly becoming more conscious of what they put in their mouths and shifting away from products that are produced unsustainably.

“We should abandon chemical fertilisers in favour of organic fertilisers instead. That is a good place to start. Organic produce also fetches higher market prices,” he said at an event to present monetary donation, cows and other food items for the Aidiladha celebration here, Sunday.

Kitingan said green economy is the way forward for Sabah and the government is looking to take advantage of this economy through its natural resources.

Currently, he said the Sabah government, through the Sabah Foundation, has control over around four million hectares of forest.

“We can monetise these resources by selling carbon credits. I believe we could earn billions through this, about

We should abandon chemical fertilisers in favour of organic fertilisers instead. That is a good place to start. Organic produce also fetches higher market prices.

Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Jeffrey Kitingan

ten times what we would if we logged all of the trees in these forests.

“In other words, we profit more from conserving our forests than from destroying them. As an added bonus, preserving our forests will benefit our lives, the animals that live in these jungles and the whole world,” he said.

On the other hand, he said logging will not be ceased completely as the wood industry is crucial to Sabah.

However, he said there is a need to lessen the reliance on the timber industry and to change the old-school mentality of destroying the first tree one sees in the jungle in exchange for cold hard cash.

“But timber industry should also be made more sustainable. We cannot fell trees in the wild. All logged trees must be replanted in a systematic way. We must give our forests the chance to recover,” he said.

During the event, Kitingan presented monetary donation and cows to three mosques in Tambunan and four cows in Keningau in conjunction with the Aidiladha celebration on Tuesday.

Later, Kitingan visited Kampung Lapakon to see the ongoing construction of one of the main irrigation infrastructures for the Tambunan irrigation scheme.

The RM8.8 million project is scheduled to be completed next year but progress has been slowed by persistent floods during the wet season.

“The project would enable double cropping in the district, which is consistent with our goal of commercialising the paddy industry here. I hope all parties and stakeholders will work together to ensure it is completed on time,” he said.